The Queens' Lives
by Katherine Baskerville
Summary: This is a collection of One-shots with our favorite tennis players from Queen of the Suits! There is the official pairing and also pairing per request! Read and review please! Featuring now: the cute SengokuxMomo: Lucky To Be Yours! I don't own Prince of Tennis! Just the OCs!
1. AtobeXAyane: King of Her Heart

**Me: Hi guys! This is going to be the first chapter of the one-shot collections that I would be writing. You guys can also make special requests if you want! But please don't forget to review! Another is – if you wanna know more about the characters – check my story "Queen of the Suits"! This would most likely be that they're in High School already. I'll state whether or not they're in middle school or high school anyway. Also, I don't own Prince of Tennis! Thanks and happy reading! I've been inspired by Koori no Houko so yeah...XD**

**AtobeXAyane: **To Become the King of Her Heart

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_Atobe Keigo: After graduating, he became the CEO of the famous Atobe Corporation and easily made the world eat out of his hand. With a proud smirk, he commanded people with confidence and pride that no other could probably rival. All except this one girl..._

_Kobayagi Ayane: After putting tennis behind her, Ayane succeeded in becoming the Kobayagi Industries executive by the time she became a junior. Despite this, she still retains the same temper that she had when in middle school. She could belittle a marine and make sure he would cry and suck his thumb in a small corner. However, there was this one man who refused to back down despite everything she had thrown at him... _

_No one knew what kind of storm would brew as soon as those two were..._

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"ENGAGED! WHY THE HELL AM I ENGAGED TO THAT ARROGANT GIT," Ayane slammed the table, causing her older brother's mug to jump. "I MEAN – COME ON, DOESN'T ANYONE KNOW ABOUT GIVING EQUAL RIGHTS TO WOMEN! WHY DON'T I HAVE A SAY IN THIS!"

"Well, it was mom and dad's choice really," Soujirou sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Honestly, Ayane – you were his girlfriend weren't you? I'm sure you can tolerate him."

"The keyword is "**were" **and yes I can tolerate him," Ayane crunched up the poor paper weight as her voice echoed from inside the office and out, causing a slight rumble from the volume. "BUT STAYING WITH HIM IN THE SAME ROOM, SEEING HIS FACE EVERY MORNING FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE – DO YOU WANT ME TO GO BLIND!"

A chuckle came from the corner, revealing four of her other brothers standing there. "Geez, you make him sound like his looks are worse than a donkey's ass. Are you serious?"

Ayane glared at her body-building brother, Ozuma as she jabbed her finger. "HE'S GOT AN ATTITUDE THAT COULD MAKE EVEN THE BRATTIEST PRINCE LOOK SO SICKENINGLY SWEET! YOU WANT ME TO GET MARRIED TO A JERK! WHAT ABOUT HINA AND MISAKI! WHY ME!"

"Misaki's too old for him," Soujiro calmly and placidly sipped his coffee, trying to maintain his tolerance for his sister's tantrums. "Obviously Hina's married already, Ayane – you're the last of the girls."

The tangerine haired younger sister slammed her fist into the desk, causing the glass to crack. "Who cares! That doesn't mean I need to get married! I mean – there are a lot of women who became successful without marrying an insane narcisstic brat! I mean – look at Barbra Streisand, Oprah Winfry – hello!"

"You tell mom and dad that," Ozuma tossed her the cordless phone which she easily caught and nearly crushed, chuckling darkly. "They've already settled things with Atobe Kenji and his wife, Shura. They said," –he cleared his throat while replaying every word their parents said and dodging a pillow thrown at him coming from a fuming Ayane. "Kobayagi Industries and Atobe Corporation would have formally joined as their children get married on their youngest daughter's eighteenth birthday."

Ayane started counting her fingers before gaping and paling in horror, slamming her hands once again on Soujirou's battered desk. "No – I only have a month of freedom left?"

"Less," her other brother, Sai walked in while showing her a calendar. "Mom and dad planned an outing with them for the next week so you only have... three weeks."

"NOOOOOOOO," Ayane yowled as she grabbed Sai's collar, shaking him exasperatedly. "You gotta help me! Do something! I am **NOT** marrying that insane git!"

Ozuma raised an eyebrow before licking off his cappuccino ice cream. "What made you hate him so much anyway? Didn't you guys date one another in Middle School?"

Ayane hissed and pitched Soujirou's poor tissue box while glaring at Ozuma. "None of your beeswax!"

Soujirou sighed before face palming. "That's because he started going with that... "Lynx" as our dear sister had quoted."

"He dated a car," Sai let out a good-natured laugh only to have Ayane box him in the face. "Owww, what was that for!"

Ayane slumped on the couch with a snort before folding her arms. "He was with that Seigaku biatch."

"Hey don't lump all Seishun students there," Soujirou pointed out before finishing off a few documents, filing them away. "Your captain's boyfriend happens to be from there."

"He's one of the more sane ones! I mean – he's devoted to making her happy at least," Ayane snarled at the thought of the girl going with Atobe. "Jerrard can go eat my socks and go flirt with him in the mountains until they die!"

Sai wagged his fingers as he clucked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, you shouldn't be like that, my dear _imouto._ I'm sure he's made up for a lot of his craps. If he didn't, he wouldn't exist now would he?"

Ayane grabbed her bag before storming out. "I'm going for a walk."

Hearing the door slam, Soujirou let out a sigh. "Man, she's still in love with him."

"Still completely in denial," Sai chuckled while tossing his empty cup into a trash can. "She doesn't know how deep in she is yet."

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On the other hand, Ayane walked to the nearest restaurant which was conveniently owned by her _senpai_.

"Argh," Ayane downed another mug of lemon iced tea. "Hand me another, Hitomi!"

The blonde bespectacled Mastermind poured her another mug, staring at her skeptically. "Honestly, caffeine is bad for you. You're going to jump around and then collapse right after."

"I. Don't. Give. A. Damn," Ayane hissed every word as she continued chugging down the whole mug before moaning in horror, slamming her face onto the wooden bar table. "Why is the world torturing me? Why does _Kami-sama_ hate me?"

Hitomi pulled the mug away from Ayane before she could go on, sighing dejectedly. "You're drunk with iced tea. Stop it."

Ayane groaned as she slammed her face onto to the table-top, glaring back with droopy zombie-like eyes. "Help me."

Shaking her head, Hitomi pulled out her cellphone and began dialling numbers. "Hey, guys – yes, you're all on my speed dial."

Ayane's ears perked up at the sound of Hitomi calling people; she blinked for a moment while watching Hitomi calmly polish the shot glasses. "W-wait, what are you-?"

"Yeah, Ayane has problems with society," Hitomi chuckled darkly as she let out a business-like smile continuing to clean some of the shot glasses. "Yeah, meet at the Mastermind. Thanks."

Ayane sighed at her. "I still don't know how you managed to convince your uncle to rename the bar the "Mastermind". You're scary, _senpai_."

"Yes," Hitomi's eyeglasses glinted a little, making shivers run down the former vice captain's spine. "Yes I am."

Ayane banged her head on the table again, groaning loudly. _OH NO, WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?_

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"You're getting married to Kobayagi-_san_ I hear," Oshitari chuckled as he had coffee with Atobe at the Raindrop Avenue, sipping his cappuccino placidly. "Your parents' choice?"

Atobe simply sipped his coffee with a snort. "_Ore-sama's _parentssaid it would be nice to put the rivalries behind them. So, they wanted to seal it with the marriage."

"I thought you would be happy to see your crazy banshee again," Oshitari smirked while recalling the insults Atobe had once hurled at her, earning him a set of daggers. "Oh yeah, it has to do with that girl from Seigaku doesn't it? What possessed you back then, Atobe?"

Atobe glared daggers at his cup. "_Ore-sama_ did not cheat on her!"

"But the way you treated her made Ayane feel like trash," Oshitari pointed out to the former captain, sternly glaring back. "You have to remember that your actions can somehow give girls different ideas. Obviously, Ayane doesn't like her and although it doesn't mean you have to dislike her too, you have to note what Ayane can probably do to her right? Secondly, Atobe just because you're worshipped by many doesn't mean everyone has to. You once said that Ayane loving you was good enough – what happened to that? Face it Atobe, you're almost as bad as Tezuka when it comes to romance."

Atobe rolled his eyes at the _kansai_ prodigy. "_Ore-sama_ does not need your advice, Oshitari."

"I'm just saying," Oshitari shrugged nonchalantly; a twinkle glimmering in his eyes. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Atobe snorted before standing up to take his leave. "Ayane's not a woman; she's a banshee."

"And a banshee is a female wailing demon. Don't tell me you're still in denial," Oshitari watched him leave, relaxing more into his chair. "One way or another Atobe, you want her and that's never going to change. Love doesn't vanish after a period of four years."

For once, the Atobe heir wanted to see his former teammate lose his calm composure. How it unnerved him to see Oshitari perfectly calm with everything as usual! As Atobe walked out of the Raindrop Avenue, the former Hyotei captain looked at the newspaper as the engagement between him and Ayane were all over the news. Walking towards nowhere in particular, Atobe kicked a small pebble while looking at the LED screens that shown several reports and the moment people saw him there – they managed to find him on the street and reporters swarmed him from every side. The former Hyotei captain mentally cursed his fortune before witnessing a flash of red vanishing from his line of sight.

"Atobe-_san_, did your parents set up this whole marriage?"

"Rumours said that you did date her once in Middle School, was it true?"

Atobe, as much as he liked being admired, searched desperately for an escape route until a hand grabbed him and dragged the said heir towards the alleys. The reporters tried to follow him but Atobe found his mouth clamped by someone and struggling didn't help him. His arm flew back of self-defence only to be chained down even tighter than ever.

"_Senpai_, quit moving," - Atobe froze at the sound of the voice, ceasing his wriggling. "I'm starting to regret that I agreed to this plan with Hitomi-_senpai_!"

Atobe looked up to find the very brunette who often pissed him off in middle school. "Kurenai, let go!"

He nearly hit her but she managed to step on his foot to make him keep quiet as the other reporters sped by. As the voices faded away, Shizuru let out a sigh of relief as she bopped him on the head.

"Kurenai, _ore-sama_ was fine," Atobe wrestled out of her grip, creating a distance between him and her while rubbing his sore head and wrist. "For a girl, you're pretty hard on the iron grip."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the crowd hunting him down. "Honestly, I don't think you want to stay with a bunch of nosy reporters. Although if you want to go to your dear fans then, you're welcome to go drown yourself in all their pointless discussions."

"Since when did you learn how to backsass," Atobe folded his arms while giving her the holier-than-thou smirk. "In middle school, you often just kept quiet. Did Tezuka feed you something weird?"

Shizuru shrugged before leading him out of the alley, gazing towards the blue skies. "Time is a pretty good teacher and a healer. Although for some, it doesn't work well."

"_Ore-sama_ knows about Ayane throwing a fit," Atobe raised an eyebrow as he looked around. "Hey where did you...?"

Shizuru had vanished while Atobe shook his head before continuing his walk. "How Tezuka manages to put up with her, _ore-sama_ will never understand."

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On the other hand, Shizuru had vanished back towards the Mastermind bar as she smiled benevolently at the blonde Mastermind. "Atobe's in position."

"Alright," Hitomi nodded approvingly before directing her attention towards her walkie-talkie. "Momo, you're next. Haruka, Rin – standby."

The female Sanada sat and waited at a nearby café while Sengoku came in with two cups.

"One café latté for me and a green tea latté for my _Shinigami_," Sengoku gave her a cheery grin, causing Momo to slightly giggle while turning a small shade of pink. "Lucky~ I got her to blush and giggle!"

Momo sighed as she fought it down. "Honestly, you still consider that an achievement? Wait," –she saw Atobe walking by. "Here's my cue – wait here."

While Atobe saw no reporters hanging around, the former Hyotei captain let out a sigh of relief.

"So, you're hanging around here," a voice snapped the male from his thoughts.

Though surprised, Atobe let his usual smirk grace his face. "First Kurenai and then you, what are you two doing now? Do your boyfriends know that you're stalking _ore-sama_?"

"Don't be so full of yourself, Atobe," Momo tossed a small _mi pao_ in her hand, addressing the male nonchalantly. "I'm just here to make sure that you have your head on straight which clearly, it isn't."

Atobe glared at her as the _Shinigami_ jabbed a finger in his face. "What makes you think that a girl would swallow almost anything? Do you think that everyone worships you?"

"_Ore-sama_ is very likeable after all," Atobe shoved Momo's finger away. "Now, _ore-sama_ doesn't know who put you up to this."

Momo let out a small scoff as she shoved the _mi pao_ into her pocket. "Nobody did. I'm doing this for a friend. That's all there is to it. Now tell me, what you would do if," –she led him towards the park and drew the bushes aside, "this happened to you?"

Atobe stared in shock as he found Ayane talking to Marui and having a hell of a time. Both of them were laughing and Atobe found himself in a moment of _déjà vu_ as he recalled the moment he had told Sanada before to make Marui stay away from **his** Ayane. The tennis match they had ended in his favour and Marui although the latter lost, Ayane practically screamed at him to allow her to stay friends with the red haired _tensai_. He remembered that Gakuto commented how it reminded him of a "volcanic eruption" every time they argued. A melancholic sigh escaped him while he reminisced on the things they used to do. They would fight, kiss and then make-up. It became like that either because of his jealousy or Ayane's insane temper that often overruled her rationality.

"From what I hear," Momo smirked even wider. "He's still single and available. Ayane can easily break things not just physically but even abstract objects."

Atobe narrowed his eyes at the _tensai_ as he walked away from Momo who tossed something at his head.

"Here, you still have a chance to make things right."

Atobe picked it up and saw a picture of him and Ayane together during middle school years, laughing with one another about something silly. "Thank..."

Before he could say thank you, Momo had already vanished while the King sighed as he got up. Atobe never realized he had forgotten so many things and a smirk appeared on his lips before he stared straight into the blue sky with the lazily strolling clouds. The loud honking of horns echoed from a distance whereas he remained cemented to where the _Shinigami_ had left him. The picture struck a sense of nostalgia in him, causing a smile to curve up on his lips. He ran his fingers through his purple hair as he ran through the sequence of events. The gray skies glistened slightly as it started slowly drizzle while Atobe started passing by the park. A couple sat together until the boy pulled out a black velvet box, proposing to her. A loud squeal caused the king to cringe at the volume but he had supposedly found himself used to Ayane's howling or lack of volume control.

"Now who is it this time," Atobe chuckled as he played along, following the cracked stony pathway. "Although, _ore-sama_ knows that only the mastermind can concoct something so complicated."

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"Hitomi-_senpai_, I don't know how you managed to convince Haruka and Rin to re-enact Marui and I years back but Keigo's not that stupid," Ayane sighed as she leaned against the bar table. "Vain yes – stupid no. Keigo always prided himself on his brains and it would take more than that to throw him off."

Hitomi looked at the tracer that Shizuru had placed previously when she saved Atobe from the crazy reporters. "Well, that's what happens when you ask the Mastermind to do things. You do remember that you have friends who are ex-underground tournament fighter who was trained by the King of Iron Fist, a _kendo_ practitioner, _Wu Shu _and Dragon Dance professionals and very devoted friends. Ayane, welcome to your own version of commanding the League of Extraordinary Gentlewomen."

Ayane pulled her hair in frustration, jabbing her finger angrily at Hitomi's direction. "The first person he's gonna come after is me – not any of you people!"

"Trust me, after that vanishing stunt that both Shizuru and Momo pulled," Hitomi snickered as she watched the tracer move, placing the microphone closer. "Kiyone, you're up next. Prepare the fifth phase of the plan and make sure that the target does not bypass you."

Ayane sighed while swirling her drink, pondering on her predicament pertaining to Atobe. However, her mind remained completely blank pertaining to Atobe's reaction after this crazy elaborate plan. Her brothers often told her about Atobe, saying that despite her heartbreak – she still loved the insane douche bag. A bitter laugh escaped her lips until she heard the door slam and the light reflected the image of a smirking Atobe Keigo standing by the door with his usual triumphant aura. The entire colour in her face drained as she nearly stumbled off her chair.

_AAGH, HOW DID HE GET IN HERE WITHOUT ME NOTICING,_ Ayane stared completely horrified, jabbing her finger in his direction. "W-what? How did you find me?"

"You often go here to drink iced tea like the weirdo you are," Atobe chuckled bemusedly, earning himself a glare from his tangerine haired fiancée. "Besides, _ore-sama_ already knew that your friends were planning this. All it took was to think five steps ahead of the Mastermind Yamaguchi Hitomi and cohorts. Then again, Kurenai and Sanada are combat specialists so obviously they would learn how to disguise their tracks easily. However, the others left many loopholes hence giving _ore-sama_ the opening to inspect the bar. After all, this place was the favourite hangout of all of you ever since High School because Yamaguchi preferred being tipsy almost half the week."

Hitomi gave him a business-like smile as she wiped a glass before placing it among the other shot glasses in the cupboard. "Hmm, you're getting good at this. What you showed years ago proved you only believed in coincidence. Then again, you were never the type to take notice of every detail."

"After staying with Oshitari," Atobe sniggered at the blonde, folding his arms pompously. "_Ore-sama_ is not as dumb as you think he is, Yamaguchi. By the way, Hikifumi was very convincing as the former Rikkai Dai _tensai_ but you forgot one thing: that man has a girlfriend_. _Sanada slipped. My _Insight_ saw through everything after meeting up with the _Shinigami_."

"He **had** a girlfriend," Momo stood by the door as she slammed it shut, coldly glaring at her former classmate. "The girl dumped him for you."

Atobe raised an eyebrow as Shizuru calmly sat on the side with a small smile, revealing the picture of the former Seigaku vice captain before tearing it slowly in half which sent shivers up Atobe's spine and making him even wonder more if Tezuka knew how scary his girlfriend was. "Yes, Jerrard Vera did live up to her title as the "Heartbreaker" after all. A heart may recover from a physical hit but an emotional hit may incur a permanent trauma."

"While everyone was too stupid to notice," the sandy blonde control specialist appeared with an innocent grin, swinging her legs on the chair. "You played ping pong with two girls!"

On the other hand, the tall silver haired Sniper appeared with a sheepish smile. "So, we decided to make you feel what she felt using the sense of nostalgia."

"Though I doubt on your ego," Haruka chuckled bitterly before downing another Melon Ball drink, leaning against the bar. "That you would feel anything."

Atobe narrowed his eyes at the former regulars as silence filled the room. His icy blue eyes locked on emerald green orbs as Hitomi and the others waited for his next move. Ayane sighed dejectedly while averting her gaze from the king. The tension throbbed against his skull as Atobe bothered trying to make any sense from the whole scheme. Long before, he would have forgotten her but Atobe never realized that he would crave for her so badly to the point of being the one in asking his parents to set up an arranged marriage with Kobayagi Ayane. The purple haired captain knew how sharp the female's tongue was compared to most and if he remembered right – she would have turned him down right there and then. No, he had to play his cards right and if there was anything Sanada and Tezuka had thumped hard into his brain and fibre, it would be leaving nothing to chance.

Right now, he just needed the opportunity.

"Guys, just send him back already," Ayane scornfully scoffed as she downed another mug while hiding some small crystals fall from her eyes. "I have nothing to say. Besides, he wants that crazy slut – I'm not stopping him. The hell with it – they can go flirt with each other in the mountains."

Although he somewhat believed she was still in a drunken state, Atobe numbly stared back at Ayane and for the first time, saw her break. His hand tried to reach out but froze onto his side as his ego coaxed him to stand still. Silence amplified the throbbing as his heart pounded furiously against his chest. The rushing of blood echoed in his ears as the male felt a sudden stab into his heart coming from the tangerine haired female. Despite her trying to be all tough and _macho_, he easily took note of the small tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. If not for his arrogance, Atobe would have quickly rushed towards her and scooped her into his arms and kissed her senseless.

"Everyone, leave," Atobe commanded, causing everyone to jump. _Ore-sama_ _only has one chance at this. It's now or never_

Kiyone, despite being a fourth year high school student, lunged at Atobe as she prepared to claw him to oblivion. "Why I oughta...!"

"Kiyone," Momo grabbed the small girl's blouse, shaking her head sternly at the younger. "Let them."

"As much as we hate it," Rin sadly shook her head, beckoning the small girl to leave. "We have to let them sort it out, _kuwee_."

Rin and Momo dragged away the sputtering sandy haired volleyist while Hitomi, Haruka and Isane cleaned up the area while Shizuru held onto the door before taking one last look, leaving the two alone. The former female Hyotei team waited outside quietly while Ayane was left to appease a very irritated and somehow confused Atobe Keigo. An uncomfortable silence descended between them as the clinking of the ice cubes against the glass echoed throughout the entire bar. Ayane swirled the contents of her glass as she saw her sad reflection before noticing Atobe's image appear at the refraction of the light.

_Great, this is exactly what I didn't want, _Ayane sighed before turning towards him, knowing he would not leave. "So – what do you want?"

Atobe smirked as he sauntered closer towards her, nearly throwing Ayane off balance. "Your team was the one who brought _ore-sama_ here. Surely, there's something you want to say?"

"I have nothing to say," Ayane hissed venomously as she snapped away from his icy blue gaze, biting her lower lip hard. "Vera's your crazy bitch right? Why don't you ask her?"

_Damn, I'm still a sucker for blue eyes,_ the strawberry blonde former vice captain inwardly cursed at her weakness.

Atobe smirked amusedly as he inched much closer to her, seeing that same fire of defiance in the former vice captain's eyes. "You better be careful with what you say, _ore-sama_ may just lose control."

"According to those years I was your girlfriend," Ayane snarled as she folded her arms while fighting a blush. "You were never in control of me or anything! What do you mean "lose control"? Are you insane? Wait a minute, don't answer: YES YOU ARE! I don't know what kind of crap you've been feeding into your system but seriously – you're psycho! Do you know anyone who would make his girlfriend feel like trash and make another feel special? Do you know anyone who...!"

Ignoring her vehement protests, Atobe traced his long fingers on Ayane's skin which caused the former vice captain to shiver as she noticed amusement flicker in the male's eyes. "And preferably, _ore-sama_ would like to see your eyes... After all, it's because of those emerald orbs of yours that hypnotized _ore-sama_ in the first place."

"Are you even listening to me or even hearing yourself," Ayane bit her lip as she whirled around to slap him in which he caught her hand. "You crazy...!"

"Yes, you're crazy and short-tempered," Atobe earned a snarl from the girl but continued to smirk but this time, with a hint of hurt and wanting. "You're equally violent yet somehow – it's comforting. _Ore-sama_ never expected you to ask Yamaguchi for help. Most of the time, you prefer knocking my lights out. Then again, you've changed... a lot. _Ore-sama_ does remember everything especially how Vera did everything to break your confidence as a doubles player – the stupid part is that her idiotic idea worked. It destroyed almost your entire your career have not you sent Kiyone to go bite her and give her rabies."

"I don't know if you did," Ayane scoffed as she looked away bitterly. "You were always the man who jumped first, think later. Besides, Kiyone doesn't have rabies. She's not an animal."

Atobe loosened the grip on his hand as he pulled her closer; Ayane then witnessed a new tender look in his eyes. "Arn~, _ore-sama_ never knew he had to convince his fiancée this much that he loves her."

"Trust me, your words are not even close to convincing me," Ayane glared until his lips started capturing hers, causing her knees to buckled down bad and her heart to melt instantly. _Crap, this man knows how to kiss to save his life! Then again, I really did forget..._

Atobe stared deeply into her eyes, running his fingers through her tangerine hair. "Well, did that convince you?"

"Hmm, I don't know," Ayane slapped his cheek teasingly, blushing and looking away. "By the way, did you...?"

"Feel guilty and annoyed at the same time," Atobe finished her sentence as he captured her lips again before taking another breath of air. "Trust me; I was annoyed by Kurenai and Sanada the most. Also, _ore-sama_ should have known that Nagisaki had a hand in changing those events on the LED screen. You were never the type to manipulate people to do your dirty work so I immediately assumed it was Yamaguchi who made up most of the obstacles."

Ayane shrugged as she leaned back while Atobe's face was merely inches away from hers. "Well, _buchou_ really does that a lot... I didn't expect you to get a whiff of it immediately."

"Now we have a lot of catching up to do," Atobe brushed his lips against her neck, causing Ayane to slightly let out a whimper. "After all, _ore-sama_ has to punish you for pulling off this insane stunt."

Ayane rolled her eyes while noting in complete boredom and sarcasm. "I'd rather get hit by Sanada _-senpai _if your version of punishment is this pathetic."

"Very well then," Atobe smirked evilly, pulling Ayane and closing in the proximity between them as the fourth year student felt his warm breath fan against the crook of her neck. "_Ore-sama_ _no bigi ni yoina, Kobayagi Ayane._"

Ayane challenged with a teasing glint in her eyes, pulling him down by his necktie. "Bring it on, Keigo."

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"I can't believe we're watching this," Momo raised an eyebrow while looking through the camera, wincing in disgust. "Where did you get one of these tiny cameras, Shizuru?" 

"Stole it off my uncle's desk," Shizuru laughed softly while adjusting the volume and cringing at the sounds of moaning and growls, averting her eyes from the small screen on her cellphone. "Uncle Lee always has this thing in making the latest gizmos. After all, he is the bonafide owner of Violet Industries and the newly associated Chaolan Technologies. But somehow, I think we should really stop watching this. It's bad for my brain."

Kiyone scrunched up her nose while waving her hands into the air. "Eww, he's groping her butt! Wait... did she just...?"

"Well, what you can say," Mai managed to see from above the sandy blonde girl's head. "They're engaged. You can't do anything about that."

"Blech, _buchou_ turn it off," Kiyone shook Shizuru who got stopped by Mai, shuddering violently. "This is so rated!"

"No, keep it going," Mai sardonically grinned while leaning on Kiyone's head. "Besides, I can't watch this at home. This beats high quality cable."

Hitomi tapped Shizuru's shoulder with an evil gleam in her eye, chuckling darkly. "Remind me to ask you to steal a few more from your uncle."

"Will do," Shizuru smirked as she linked it to her phone. "This is good."

Isane glanced at Shizuru while gaping in shock. "What are you doing?"

"As the heiress now to the Mishima Zaibatsu," Shizuru smiled mischievously while clicking a few buttons. "I don't think her brothers are hard to reach."

Mai chuckled evilly while sitting next to Shizuru. "I say – Fuji's a good influence on you."

"Tell that to my boyfriend," Shizuru smirked before encoding the rest of the signal in.

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**Yay, Atobe done! I'm not too fond of Atobe and he may seem a bit OOC. I was actually inspired to write this by KoOri no HouKou so my thanks to her! **

**So, send me any ideas or any pairings you want next. Although, it will take me awhile to make it. This one took me three days! I wasn't sure whether or not to write it since my reviewers from Queen of the Suits didn't really tell me anything.**

**I love Chinese jackstones! The jacks in Chinese Jack stones are called 'mi pao'. That's why I put them there! :D**

**It's okay to repeat the pairing! For all you know, there may be a sequel to this one!**

**Das vidanya – til the next chapter, my dear readers!**


	2. TezukaXShizuru: Loving From A Distance

**Me: Hi, it's Scarlette Shizuru again! I decided to start write the TezukaXShizuru since I already have it in my head. You guys can continue requesting if you want and don't forget to review! Thank you~! :D By the way, I got a little inspired by "Otokomae! Beads Club" manga also for the plot and the theme was inspired by Elliott Yamin's "Can't keep loving you from a Distance". I don't own Prince of Tennis!**

**TezukaXShizuru:**Loving From A Distance

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"_Kyaaah, Tezuka-sama!"_

_Tezuka cringed slightly at the sharp piercing shrieks of his fan girls as he made his way to the classroom. Finally getting away from some of them, the ex-buchou of Seigaku but now the captain of the varsity team of Tokyo University placed his books down on the table as he took a seat next to the window. As his Literature and Arts teacher walked in, Tezuka sighed and recalled how boring his professor had been and nearly turned his brain into mush if not for the discipline he had been taught for the last fifteen years of his life._

"_Today," the teacher grinned as he placed down his things on the desk. "We will now follow the steps of the Renaissance people! We will draw whatever we deem 'perfect'! What the people in the past sought was 'perfection' and thus, the arts were their medium..."_

_All the other students groaned as Tezuka stared at the teacher as if he had grown a second head but then turned his attention to the window as a smirk tugged on his lips. From the other building, he found a brunette talking with her small set of friends with a cheerful and polite smile. Taking a look at the paper that sat in front of him, he picked up his mechanical pencil and began to draw. _

_On the other hand, the female brunette had started packing up her things to move to her next classroom._

"_Hey Shizuru," her red haired best friend, Nagisaki Mai grinned as she called from the doorway. "You ready to go?"_

_Shizuru nodded before glancing at the window. "Y-yeah..."_

"_God forbid," Mai slapped the upside of the girl's head with a groan. "Get yourself in gear and tell him already!"_

"_What if he rejects me," Shizuru whispered in a small voice._

_Mai grabbed Shizuru by the collar. "Then show him that you're something not worth missing, you dip!"_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Tezuka," Oishi, the former _fukubuchou_ of Seigaku, spoke worriedly on the phone. "You can't keep dancing circles around!"

Tezuka raised an eyebrow as he continued to respond calmly. "I wasn't aware I told you anything about dancing..."

"Fuji informed me well enough," Oishi responded more worriedly than before. "SEE? SHE LIKES YOU!"

Tezuka rolled his eyes. "You know how Fuji is – sadistic and sly, he'll do that to get my hopes up."

"Not to his best friend," Oishi shot back with seriousness lacing his voice. "Tezuka, what if some guy decides to take her? Kurenai Shizuru or what exactly is her name again?"

Before Tezuka could respond, the phone rang on the other line. "Hold on Oishi, I have another call," –he switched lines. "Hello?"

"Tezuka," a familiar amused voice came from the other end, causing Tezuka to crease his forehead.

"Fuji," Tezuka started resisting the urge to cut the line although ethics argued otherwise. "You didn't turn some unlucky imbecile upside down again did you?"

Fuji sighed on the phone, twirling the cord with his fingers. "Now why would I do that?"

Tezuka remained silent on the phone until Fuji surrendered cheekily. "Okay fine, I may have done so..."

"Fuji, I can't keep covering up for you," Tezuka pinched the bridge of his nose, remembering the amount of stress Fuji piled on him during Middle School.

"Fuji, he doesn't believe me!"

Fuji, overhearing Oishi's voice from the other end, sighed at his best friend. "Tezuka, running away never helps in the field of romance."

Tezuka sighed at the predicament he was in: getting lectured by two of his friends and he thought he wouldn't have to hear from them for one night. "Fuji, Oishi, thank you for your concern but that could be just a rumour people made up."

"Have you noticed any fan girl attacks," Fuji pointed out seriously; if Tezuka would believe something, it would be concrete evidence pertaining to the negative reactions. "Tomorrow morning, they will make sure she won't make a move..."

"I didn't know girls from your school were more vicious," Oishi gulped at the sound of Fuji's voice, waiting for the worst. "What do they do?"

Ever since Tezuka and Fuji entered Tokyo University, both of them informed Oishi, who was studying at Johns Hopkins University, about everything that was happening to them. What the ex-_buchou_ of Seigaku didn't expect was that the girl continued to occupy his mind would enter the same university as him and Fuji simply tagged along for the ride.

_Kami-sama,__what __did __I__ do __to __deserve __this,_ Tezuka pinched the bridge of his nose, frowning a bit. "They..."

"They left a dead cat in her locker once and smeared its blood all over it," Fuji noted casually, causing the other two to wonder how he could do that. "Then, she had to report to him since he's part of the school's discipline committee as the Student Body's Vice President. Another is..."

"Fuji, be quiet," Tezuka fiercely whispered with finality.

"Tezuka."

The bespectacled former Seigaku _buchou_ turned his attention to Oishi. "You better make your move soon," –Oishi prodded a little more worriedly. "Who knows how much more she can take? By the way, what's her real name anyway? I won't tell anyone. Fuji, promise too!"

Hearing Fuji and Oishi swear that they wouldn't tell anyone, Tezuka felt a small smile quirk upon his lips as he remembered that he was one of the few who knew that secret.

"Her name is Kazama Shizuru... or if including the legalities, Mishima Shizuru."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Shizuru," Mai ran towards her with a set of books in her hand. "You okay? I mean they did..."

"They tore up all my Psych notes," Shizuru smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I know..."

Mai slapped her forehead, gaping with astonishment. "Shizuru, how long are you going to tolerate this? And to what – to impress Tezuka that you have this insane amount of forgiveness? Are you serious? Did something contaminate your food this morning?"

Shizuru turned to Mai with a stolid determined look. "As long as it takes me and no, I am not trying to impress him. But yes, I'm serious about tolerating every bit of it."

The red haired _tensai_ shook her head with a sigh as she found another red haired female walking towards them. "Hey, it's Souma-_san_..."

Shizuru found Fuuka walking towards her as she grabbed the younger girl's hand and dragged her to the other end. "Fuuka-_senpai_, what's going on?"

"Are you seriously just going to stand there and take all the crap they're going to dump on you?"

Shizuru stared at her for a moment before hanging her head, playing with a dust bunny on the ground. "Well, I..."

"I am this close," Fuuka put up her fingers and showing a millimetre left, furiously twitching her jaw. "To telling Tezuka-_san_ how they hurt you. Shizuru-_chan_, do I have to call Yukimura and company to beat some sense into you again? Yukimura's just a phone call away you know and along with Amakusa and Hoshimura. We stood together years ago and we can continue doing that until now."

"Kurenai-_san,_Souma-_san_, is there something wrong?"

The two girls' blood ran cold as they found Tezuka standing behind them with folded arms. He glanced at Shizuru whom he had noticed that there are red scratch marks and her shoes were also taking a beating. Then again, he remembered that girl only changed things when they were deemed irreparable [according to Inui's data anyway]. However, he had overheard Mai saying that the shoes she wore now was a birthday gift that she received a week ago. Fuuka had nearly punched the girl also for not looking at her jacket before wearing it or so he heard from the red head herself.

"_Ii __betsuni,_" Shizuru smiled reassuringly, playing with pebbles. "I just got attacked by stray cats is all. I had to bring home fish from the grocery and a huge group of cats attacked..."

Tezuka raised his eyebrow, wondering if that was the best lie Shizuru could come up with. He could clearly see that there were two lines per scratch and cats have three claws. Two usually meant something like an oyster fork, bird claws or stapler wires. However, they were too thin to be the first two and a frown appeared on his face.

"Stray cats?" Tezuka decided to pretend to buy the lie and thought that Inui was right; she did make the worst liar. "Where did you pass...?"

Shizuru shrugged sheepishly, somewhat relieved that he believed her. "Ah, the place I passed was near an alley way. I didn't know there were so many cats there and so... yeah."

"Be careful next time," Tezuka noted monotonously as he watched her run back to the classroom.

Fuuka chuckled at him, mockingly applauding him. "You didn't buy it."

Tezuka gave the red head a droll stare. "Who would buy something like that when they know that cats don't attack out of nowhere and that they have three claws?"

"Told ya Shizuru was a horrible liar," Fuuka grimaced slightly but replaced it immediately with a huge cheeky grin. "That's why she and Nagisaki are good friends. You noticed how relieved her face became when she saw you buy it? Another, she don't have a backbone. If you're going to be her guy, teach her how to get a backbone why don't you?"

Tezuka watched Fuuka walk away. "I hear you and Sanada share a classroom."

Upon hearing this, a grin appeared on the former Seishun Gakuen captain's face.

"The _Shinigami_ won't be pleased when she hears this. I'm sure everyone will get a wind of this..."

Seeing Fuuka walk away, he watched Shizuru's figure vanish as she entered the building. His body throbbed with a ringing howling incessantly in his ears along with his heartbeat pounding louder than ever. He attempted to advance towards her and offer a little company but his body refused to move. Silently berating his cowardice, Tezuka turned heel and went towards his class.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"What? There's a beauty contest in the festival tomorrow?"

"That is so awesome!"

"Wow, I can't believe it!"

Girls swarmed to the board as Shizuru and Mai followed behind. Fuuka approached them from behind while reading the poster and the details. With a nod, Fuuka turned to Mai who evilly grinned as she turned to Shizuru who paled considerably at the two.

"Guys, I'm not entering that contest!"

"Come on," Fuuka folded her arms and pointed out, malevolently planning the culprits' demise with an evil grin. "This is the best way to lure out your attacker. If she hears that you're entering the pageant, she'll definitely do everything to destroy you. When we see her in the act, we'll get her."

Mai grinned as she pulled out her cellphone, chuckling deviously. "And I know just the people to call to help."

Shizuru sighed as she walked to her classroom. "You guys are mean."

"We're mean 'cause we care," Fuuka called out as the bell rang, scribbling Shizuru's name. "We better go, Nagisaki. Who are you gonna call?"

Mai finished texting on her phone as she shut it with a satisfied smile. "Trust me, we'll meet them later in Shizuru's house."

After school, Shizuru sat on the floor with a twitch as she stared at all the people in the room.

"Mai, Fuuka-_senpai_," her tone slowly starting to get icy, seeing certain faces in the room. "Why are they all here?"

Fuuka leaned against the wall while spinning a tennis ball on one finger. "They're here to make sure you look gorgeous and to help us catch the perp. Who said it would just be the two of us?"

"Don't they have classes," Shizuru pointed out to the two.

"It's alright," Fuji snickered with an amused voice. "Anything to help our dear girl get her man to notice her who indeed happens to be my best friend."

Niou mischievously smirked, swivelling around on the computer chair. "I was bored and besides, nobody messes with my girlfriend's friends."

Oshitari chuckled darkly while smirking. "Shizuru, if they want maximum impact – they hired the right people."

Saeki scratched sheepishly his head while nodding at her. "Yeah, I don't think these attacks should continue. Time to show them you have something."

"No one," Shishido hissed while scrunching up a paper ball in his hand. "No one messes with one of the Silver Trio. Mess with one – you get the whole boat."

Shizuru sighed as she remembered that Ohtori, Shishido, Fuji, Niou and Saeki studied in the same university whereas Oshitari and Yukimura also studied in the same place. The boys apparently maintained contact through facebook and religiously posted updates about their lives in the universities. However, the former Hyotei captain never expected to have a replay of middle school again.

Shizuru gaped at Mai and grabbed her collar, pointing at the other girls. "You crazy fool, you invited them too!"

"Come on, _buchou_," Ayane evilly grinned, rubbing her hands together. "We'll do anything to help you."

Kiyone nodded while pretending to crush a lemon. "Yane-Yane and Mai-_senpai_ are gonna squish the girl's head like a lemon~!"

"Guys," Shizuru tried to hush them down, glancing out her window every few moments. "You do realize that Tezuka's not my boy..."

"This is where we guys come in," Fuji intruded smoothly, giving her a smile that would have made Hitler's moustache curl up. "Also, Niou can make you look really good. Sometimes, something drastic needs to be done in order to whack Tezuka into reality."

Niou looked at her before pulling out a lot of things from the bag. "Trust me – sticking around with my sister made fashion hammer itself into my head."

Shizuru stared at them in horror, inching away from the crowd sitting in her dormitory.

_What did I get myself into?_

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"So you're going, Tezuka," Fuji had a sly smile on his face as he asked Tezuka the next day.

Tezuka nodded stiffly, knowing that evil smile for years. "Yes, Fuji – do not sabotage any of the girls in favour of your desired contestant."

"Tsk, tsk, who said anything about sabotage," Fuji tapped his chin, sorting out things in the club room with Tezuka. "I was just asking."

Tezuka rolled his eyes before throwing Fuji his attire for the club booth. "Just change into them, Fuji."

Before the two knew it, the entire tennis club was in butler suits. Tezuka kept his glasses on all because someone said he reminded him of coffee blonde version of Claude from _Kuroshitsuji_. The moment Fuji opened his eyes and Tezuka let out a small smirk, girls rushed in like mad and even more rushed in as Saeki ushered them in with his boyish charm. Ohtori didn't do too badly either as most girls entered most of his zone along with Shishido and Niou pulling off their bad boy stunt and having almost every girl swooning over them.

"What if I wore a maid dress," Fuji smiled slyly, causing Tezuka to face palm.

"Fuji I will only say this once," Tezuka glowered at the _tensai_, massaging his temples. "Shut up."

"Okay."

Watching the door, Saeki nudged Tezuka while deviously grinning at him. "Hey, look who just walked in."

The moment Tezuka swivelled his head, Shizuru entered meekly while looking for a place. Unlike other girls, she didn't squeal but had a more terrified expression. Most of the girls were too busy staring at the other butlers as Shizuru tried to find a chair.

"Table for one," Ohtori smiled boyishly at her, ushering her politely.

"Wow, Choutarou," Shizuru surveyed at the tall silver haired male from head to toe, giggling. "Inuzuka-_san_'s going to shoot whichever females going to try and take you."

"Yeah, I know," Ohtori scratched his head sheepishly as he looked around, noticing something from afar. "Please follow me."

Fuji directed Ohtori with finger signs that Tezuka didn't seem to notice only to have the captain to realize later on that she was in his zone. He nearly threw a nasty glance at Fuji if not for Shishido's sudden shove [instructed by Fuji] towards her. Tezuka, for once in his life, had nervousness flicker in his eyes as he walked to her table. His heart raced wildly as he found Shizuru sitting by the window with the right amount of sunlight making her glow gently and look more ethereal. His breath got stuck in the wrong pipe nearly making his cough badly if not for the discipline that taught him to hold it in.

"Milady," Tezuka cleared his throat a bit as he heard a few wolf-calls from behind and girls freaking out and swooning, earning the males a nasty glare that promised them laps.

Shizuru looked up and found Tezuka as her... well... her butler, causing her to slightly blush. "Oh, I guess you're my butler for... now?"

Tezuka nodded stiffly. _Somehow,__ I__ don__'__t __mind__ being __her __butler __compared__ to __the __other __girls.__ At__ least__ she __doesn__'__t __shriek __and__ most __of __all,__she__'__s...beautiful..._

"Ok so," Shizuru shyly examined the choices on the menu, nearly turning pink. "I really don't know what's good so... anything not too heavy on the sweet side?"

Discovering her pinkish face made him want to tell her she looked very endearing but his logic won over his rationality. Tezuka nearly let out a small chuckle but fought it back immediately. "The Strawberry Shortcake isn't too sweet..."

"Ok," Shizuru laughed softly which caused him to smile slightly but the ex-Seigaku _buchou_ hid it once again. "I'll have that one then."

As Tezuka walked away, he loathed the feeling in his stomach that screamed at him to tell her what he truly felt. Watching her for years drove him nuts and his brain told him to walk away but something tugged inside him to make him turn around and sit with her. Every nerve in his body tickled him and tackled his sense of rationality but Tezuka continued to advance away from her.

Fortunately for him, his body listened more to his brain than his heart.

"_Saa_~, you should have sat with her," Fuji pouted impishly while Tezuka picked up a Strawberry Shortcake from the cooler.

"Club duties come first," Tezuka noted monotonously before finding a tray with a small slice of strawberry shortcake and a cup of hazelnut green tea latté all ready for him to serve, feeling the urge to threaten the said _tensai_ with Pandemonium to come. "Fuji, do not dare do anything or so help me God I will..."

Without further warning, Fuji snatched the tray from Tezuka and shoved him towards the table. "Go sit with her. Leave the rest to me."

"Fuji, do you really want to," Tezuka narrowed his eyes in frustration as the _tensai_ smiled sadistically, prompting him into pinching the bridge of his nose.

Niou swung over with a grin, spinning up another tray and putting a few milkshakes on it. "Don't worry – we got you covered. Damn, who knew that Fuji's idea of a butler café could make so much money?"

Saeki ran the Math at the cashier, giving them a triumphant grin. "Yeah, we have enough to last three years for our club fund and maybe a little extra for the each of us."

Fuji ushered Tezuka towards the table with a patented smile, ignoring the murderous aura emitted by his captain. "Hello, Shizuru-_chan_."

The vermillion eyed brunette looked up in surprise, noticing Fuji standing in front of a very annoyed Tezuka. "Oh Fuji-_senpai_, is there anything wrong?"

Fuji chuckled darkly, seeing how Shizuru's naïveté allowed him to trap Tezuka. "Yes you see, Tezuka's been working here for a long time and his shift ended like three hours ago..."

_Liar,_ Tezuka cursed mentally, twitching furiously. _You__'__re __banking __on__ her __gullibility._

"So," Fuji passed a manipulative and sadistic grin to his best friend with a slight peek of cerulean from under his lashes. "I was hoping you could accompany him today..."

Shizuru smiled kindly while nodding, watching Fuji pull out a seat. "Sure, I don't see why not."

"I'm sure you guys would be the envy of lovebirds everywhere," Fuji chuckled evilly and bowed before he left, causing Tezuka to furiously twitch. "For now, I bid you _adieu_. By the way, here is your Strawberry Shortcake and Green Tea Latté. Enjoy your meal, _hime-sama_."

Shizuru flushed scarlet as Fuji sashayed in the most gentlemanly fashion possible. From afar, she could have sworn Isane's boyfriend gave the smiling _tensai_ a high five. Before the former Hyotei captain could observe their master plan, the brunette realized she had other issues to take care of such as: how to not embarrass herself in front of the former Seishun Gakuen captain she had a strong affection for. Somehow, she could hear Fuuka's nagging and insults in her head regarding her inability to speak to someone with direct eye contact.

"Umm, I'm sure Fuji-_senpai_ did this without your knowing right," Shizuru smiled sheepishly, hiding a portion of her face under the menu. _If__ it__'__s __anything__ we__ share __in __common,__ it__'__s __wondering __why __tensai __don__'__t __have __a__ life._

Tezuka felt a chuckle bubble from his throat, noticing hints of make-up on her face. "It seems to me Nagisaki-_san_ somewhat turned you into one of her favourite dolls."

"She insists I join the crazy beauty pageant," Shizuru took a sip with a sheepish twinkle in her eye. "I never found the appeal of those kinds of things. Girls look cheap when they try to do so... If it's International Miss Universe then, that I understand perfectly. School pageants usually give the male population the wrong idea."

Tezuka's lips quirked up into a small smile while trying to stay calm and controlled although his words felt like they were being stripped from his throat. "That's only for probably to the _otaku_ and... others..."

Shizuru giggled in which at the same time a small chuckle bubbled from his throat. However, Fuji dropped a few hints about Shizuru being forced and persuaded to join the Beauty Pageant hence giving Tezuka much reason to make sure nothing happens. Although he didn't find much appeal in the crazy contest, Tezuka soon started debating with himself whether or not he was watching out of duty or out of something else. Feeling his face become thirty shades of crimson, Tezuka quickly cancelled his thought especially upon remembering that the crazy Student Body President had added a "special" category for those poor girls joining.

"May I have your attention please," the PA rang out with a very familiar voice, nearly making Tezuka wish he had stayed in the Student Council Room. "The Beauty Pageant is about to begin. All clubs are to cease their activities until the end of the contest. All girls; begin your preparations! Have fun and good luck!"

Shizuru visibly paled but shook herself away from the daze before standing up, bowing apologetically. "I'm sorry but, I have to..."

"It's alright," Tezuka nodded politely although wanting to hit himself for allowing her to leave. "I'll manage this. You go on ahead."

She darted away immediately, leaving Tezuka to allow a helpless smile to curve up his lips. He noticed that the Strawberry Shortcake almost completely finished and found himself scooping a small helping of it, using the same fork she used. The sweetness didn't hit him as hard as others which would have made him spit it out. The amount of sugar satisfied him as he unconsciously kept the fork in his mouth.

"Tezuka-_san_, you just kissed her indirectly," –a mischievous drawl came from behind, prompting Tezuka to quickly remove the fork.

"There is no such thing as 'kissing indirectly'," he twitched furiously before placing the fork and plate on the tray. "Shouldn't you be cleaning up your area, Niou?"

"I'm done," the silver haired Trickster smirked before balancing a whole tray of glasses. "You better hurry up. I hear they have a _kimono_ division for the girls."

Tezuka continued to twitch furiously, mentally promising him a hundred laps. How did Sanada survive this madness? The problem worsened when Fuji and Niou officially became friends and started tormenting his high school days. Among all of his tennis acquaintances, the only ones who enrolled in the prestigious Tokyo University were Fuji, Saeki, Niou, Ohtori, Fuuka, Mai, Shishido, himself and Shizuru. However, not all of them chose to be extremely devoted to their tennis careers such as Shishido who felt he needed to improve his speed and tried out for the Track and Field team – making him the first male to break the University record. Ohtori continued playing his violin but also managed his time with tennis despite not being a regular like Fuji, Niou and he. Saeki had been going around and even went for swimming hence his tennis had increased considerably. Fuuka on the other hand went for the _judoka_ team and easily brought down all their best players while Mai joined the Dance Troupe with Shizuru devoting herself to both tennis and her secret passion: Martial Arts especially her _karate_and _ninjitsu_.

Still, the predicament of being in the same class as Fuji and Niou made him an eligible candidate for rehabilitation for aspirin addiction.

As he closed down the butler café for awhile, Tezuka made his way to the auditorium where many of the girls had begun the talent portion of the whole pageant. The bespectacled male narrowed his eyes as he began searching around. He recalled how jealous this could make girls especially when their aspired males are looking at another female. He found Shizuru performing a martial arts exhibition, capturing the eyes of many of the guys until he saw a faint shadow fade behind the curtains. He threw a glance at Niou who quickly vanished behind the scenes with Fuji continuing to take the pictures for a diversion. As Niou and he went to the backstage, loud rapping on the wooden floors allowed both people to track the culprit down.

"Honestly," Tezuka raised an eyebrow at an extremely relaxed Niou. "If you're so good at this, why didn't you try out for the disciplinary committee?"

"And get my name tainted for following the law," Niou shrugged nonchalantly, smirking mischievously. "Sorry, I prefer working with no rules. Too many restrictions."

Huffing and puffing, Saeki slid out from the other side while trying to corner the same person. "Guys, I'm sorry! She got away!"

Niou folded his arms with a raised eyebrow with a cocky smirk. "It seems to me I have a slight idea who the culprit is..."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes and recalled every fan girl who possibly had a psychotic mindset but nothing appeared. Most of them clung onto him like a terrier as he started eliminating potential attackers one by one. However, the articulate and exact planning suddenly pounded a sense of realization into him. Hearing the door slam upstairs, Saeki, Tezuka and Niou immediately darted after the culprit only to arrive at the balcony of the auditorium.

Niou chuckled darkly, folding his arms. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Aren't you the Student Body Treasurer Satonaka Chihiro-_san_?"

A violet haired pale skinned girl meekly swivelled towards them, paled completely before facing Niou and Tezuka. "T-Tezuka-_san_, N-Niou-_san_, Wh- shouldn't you two be watching the pageant?"

"That's the same thing we should be asking you," Niou narrowed his eyes despite being in his relaxed position, surrounding himself with a dangerous aura. "Now what might you be doing up here?"

Chihiro backed up all the way to the fence, trembling from Niou's intense gaze. "S-Stop let me explain!"

"You're the one putting all the crap in Shizuru's locker aren't you," a voice came from behind Niou, revealing Shishido with rolled up sleeves standing next to Saeki. "She didn't do anything to you! What's your problem?"

Chihiro slammed her hand on the railing; tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. "She's taking something that's mine!"

"I wasn't aware that I was your boyfriend," Tezuka glared icily at Chihiro, causing the girl shiver fearfully. "Unfortunately, I've already given myself to someone."

"Even if it's Tennis," Chihiro shook her head vehemently, shivering violently. "I don't mind! I don't want any other girl to take you!"

Tezuka shook his head as he folded his arms, bluntly stating in finality. "Kurenai Shizuru had already robbed me of my heart long time ago."

Chihiro, petrified, fell on her knees before shivering in terror. Tears trickled down her cheeks as Tezuka mercilessly stared back at her, reminiscing on her obsession to make Shizuru miserable.

"You placed staple wires in her jackets, you left a dead cat in her locker," Tezuka twitched at the long list of attacks; rage threatening to lace his voice with more malice and venom. "You ordered your cohorts to tear up all of Shizuru's Psychology notes. To think she considered you a friend..."

"That's what made it easy," Chihiro sneered darkly, gathering her courage. "I was also the one who funded this competition after all. And when she wins, she's not going to look the same..."

Tezuka ransacked his personal knowledge of Chihiro's twisted psychology, knowing Chihiro's level of intelligence caused him to stagger back slightly revolted. "You didn't..."

"She'll be a mass of scarred tissue," Chihiro mockingly laughed as Tezuka ran from their sight, shocking the other four.

_No, you can't be serious...!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"The winner is – Ms. Kirisaki Otome," the announcer cheerfully revealed the prizes as a blue haired girl, shocked as she was, stumbled forward. "Congratulations!"

Otome Kirisaki giggled with surprise as she embraced Shizuru who came up in second, thanking her classmate intensely for helping her gain the confidence. The brunette returned the embrace as the smaller girl walked forward to receive the crown and the flowers. The audience cheered loudly as all the contestants applauded enthusiastically for the winner. However, the former Hyotei _buchou_'s smile faltered when she noticed the absence of Tezuka Kunimitsu and the others. As a Student Body Vice President, he should be with the President handing out the award but only the latter showed up.

Shizuru narrowed her eyes slightly, glancing at every nook and cranny within the auditorium. _This __is __all __going __too __smoothly... T__here__'__s __something..._

Realization drummed into her mind as her eyes widened when she saw a small red light blinking behind the crown.

"Kirisaki-_san_," Shizuru lunged forward and knocked the crown off her head, earning a cry from the smaller girl.

"Ms. Kurenai," the announcer tried to stop her only to hear a whirring sound. "What's going on?"

"Everyone, get down," Shizuru immediately shoved Otome away as a bright light engulfed the auditorium.

On the other end, Tezuka rushed over from outside only to see the whole area blazing with flames.

"Shizuru!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A slight painful groan bubbled from the brunette's throat as she found herself in a white walled room. Shizuru weakly propped herself up, trying to get better grasp of her surroundings. She traced her finger over her hand which had a needle stuck in it and a few bandages on her arms. Blinking for a few moments, the brunette struggled to regain some of her senses and grasp of reality as she slid off the bed slowly. A bittersweet smile etched itself on her lips as she tried to force her paralysis and numbness away from her body with pain throbbing against her skull.

"Shizuru, my God," a loud voice caused Shizuru to swivel her head towards the doorway where Mai stood, tapping her foot. "You're insane! You could have gotten killed!"

Shizuru hung her head quietly, shaking herself out of the daze despite the incessant ringing in her ears. "But I've gone through worse..."

Fuuka barged angrily, grabbing hold of Shizuru's hospital gown. "What the hell is your problem? Do you have some fucking death wish?"

Shizuru averted her gaze away while solemnly looking at her arms. "I'm sorry; I must've made everyone worry so much..."

"You bet your ass you did," a snarky tone came from the doorway, revealing a less than happy Shishido and a concerned Ohtori standing against the door frame.

Shizuru seemed to shrivel under Shishido's dark glare. "_S-Senpai..._"

"What the hell is wrong with you," Shishido moodily snapped before slamming his hands against the bed's railing, curling his hands into a fist. "Are you that suicidal?"

Door slightly creaked open with Tezuka standing silently at the doorway as he watched her face her very paranoid and concerned friends dote upon her as if she had come from some extremely traumatic experience. He allowed a helpless smile of relief but glared at the thought of her arms being burned by from the huge explosion. Luckily, there were no casualties but Shizuru managed to giggle lightly from the burn marks. Despite the doctor's reassurance that it wouldn't leave any mark, Tezuka couldn't help but feel his blood boiling from Satonaka's last attempt to destroy Shizuru. Realizing staring wouldn't help him, Tezuka slipped in quietly amidst all the noise while watching all the girls scream at her and the boys shake their heads disapprovingly at Shizuru.

"Tezuka-_senpai_," she suddenly called, causing him to snap his head up towards her as the boys were staring queerly at him.

Mai, realizing the predicament, quickly grabbed Fuuka's arm. "Hey, I need you to come with me and get something!"

Fuuka stared at her incredulously until she got a "say-a-word-and-I'll-kick-your-ass" glare, finally understanding Mai's idea. "Alright, just don't drag me off to some girly shop."

Ohtori spotted Tezuka standing two feet away from Shizuru's bed before suddenly grabbing Shishido's arm. "_Senpai_, I left my cat outside! I better bring him in!"

Shishido gave him the "what-the-hell" look while sputtering after his doubles partner as he too was dragged outside. Soon, Tezuka and Shizuru stood alone in a room as an unsettling silence wedged itself in between them. The brunette smiled kindly at him before averting her eyes away, trying disguise a blush. Tezuka let a chuckle slightly bubble from his throat as he saw the freshman slightly propping herself up.

"Um, _senpai_ – do you want to sit down," Shizuru smiled timidly, twiddling with her thumbs. _Oh __great,__this __is __too __sickeningly __sweet._

Tezuka, fed up with all the suspense eating him from inside, mechanically walked to his seat before glancing at her arms. "How long until you can remove them?"

"Remove, oh," Shizuru glanced at her bandages, smiling sheepishly. "Um, the truth is – I can remove them now. But... I..."

"Would you like me to remove them for you," Tezuka suddenly blurted out, now mentally kicking himself.

Shizuru blushed wildly before shaking her head, trying to prevent any stuttering. "N-No, it's okay! You don't need to trouble yourself! The doctor told me to leave it on!"

Tezuka allowed himself a helpless smile, causing Shizuru to nearly faint if not for her willpower. "Kurenai-_san..._"

"_Senpai_, you can call me Shizuru-_chan_ if you wish or Shizuru," the former Hyotei captain smiled until she realized what she had said, blushing even more. "That's if only if you want to!"

Tezuka closed his eyes before inhaling deeply, taking her hands into his own. "If that were the case then, please call me Tezuka."

Shizuru gaped, trying to re-evaluate what he had just said. _Wh-what, __wait... __huh?_

"Shizuru, we've known each other formally for five years," Tezuka spoke slowly, trying to make sure nothing stupid suddenly comes out. "I've seen you as an amazing captain; someone who never backed down when given a challenge. But somehow, I can't see that anymore. I used to like walking with you, staying with you in the library late hours, playing a long friendly game of tennis but... somehow – that all started to change."

She wanted to open her mouth but decided against it as Tezuka continued.

"Nationals gave me more time to think," Tezuka lowered his voice a little, treasuring the warmth of Shizuru's hands. "However, I soon started to hate the idea of being distant the moment my career in Germany began. Everything seemed gray and colourless; something was missing. My manager then gave me some time off to think and even allowed me to enroll here in Tokyo University. A lot of people say it was a horrible move but I don't regret it one bit. But before anything, I want to ask you: could a person keep on loving someone... no matter how far they are?"

Shizuru pondered for a moment, twitching her nose a bit. "One way or another, they would find each other. Maybe in another time... who knows? Humans are unpredictable."

"Then perhaps your theory is true," Tezuka bit his lower lip hard, gazing directly into her crimson eyes. "Because, the last time I checked – I could withstand other boys hanging out with you. But now... I can't. Fuji sent me a lot of pictures while I stayed in Germany and suddenly, I ended up reading up how to deal with jealousies. Your smile directed to someone else... somehow, I can't tolerate it anymore. It's..."

"It's l-love, _senpai_," Shizuru weakly murmured until his hand gently laid itself on her cheek. "Huh?"

Tezuka tenderly smiled at her, entwining his fingers with hers. "Then, I think it's time I stop loving you from a distance."

Seeing the proximity of their faces, Tezuka leaned in slowly before brushing his lips against hers while gently urging her to accept the sincerity of his feelings. Shizuru felt her whole body become limp as she ended up leaning towards him, responding with a slight brush of her own. After a few seconds, both their foreheads were pressed against one another's as the bespectacled male continued to keep his hand over Shizuru's. The brunette giggled softly before she gently nuzzled him before he encircled his arms around hers, almost half-afraid that he may crush her. Tezuka loathed letting her go but he let her rest against the bed before gently brushing away a brown lock from her face. The former female Hyotei captain smiled back kindly as he returned her smile as well before their feelings exchanged with one another.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Fuuka scoffed before crushing a can of cold mocha against her head, chuckling darkly as she stood outside the room. "It's about time."

"You can't expect Shizuru to tell him outright now could you," Mai raised an eyebrow at the other red haired girl while tousling around her long red locks. "Yukimura said it would take more than a bulldozer to dent Tezuka's thick head."

"I can't believe you actually manipulated Satonaka to make a bomb," Fuuka rolled her eyes at the red haired _tensai_, shoving her hands roughly into her pocket. "It makes no sense."

Mai shrugged nonchalantly, bristling darkly at the former Seishun Gakuen captain. "I only presented the opportunity. I didn't tell her to make a bomb and land Shizuru in the hospital."

"So, what happens if Tezuka finds out that you manipulated Satonaka?"

Mai suddenly paled visibly, imagining the scenario. "He's gonna make my life a living hell isn't he?"

"As long as he loves her like hell I'm sure he does," Fuuka chuckled nervously. "Then yep, you wouldn't want to anger someone like him. They usually say that the quiet ones are the ones to be feared more than the ones who scream and snap."

"So, I'm guessing punishment is inevitable?"

Fuuka snickered before glancing at the small window. "I don't know perhaps it isn't. He'll probably be too happy to care."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Yep, I know he was kind of OOC but heck – he's hard to write! XD Hopefully I can come up with better ideas soon. **

**Loving From A Distance – the theme was from Elliott Yamin's "Can't Keep Loving You From A Distance"**

**Oh by the way, if you have any suggestions – say so now or forever hold your peace! :D**

**Also, don't forget to review! Thanks~**


	3. YukimuraXMai: The Girl With Red Hair

**Me: Hahaha, I'm glad this story is now getting reviews! I didn't expect the Queen's Lives to become a hit really. But anyhow, time to add in everyone's request: YukimuraXMai followed by NiouXIsane. Don't worry; they'll also have their alternate pairings too. By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs!**

**YukimuraXMai: The Girl with Bright Red Hair**

**P.S. I know this is EXTREMELY late for Valentines but I hope this will suffice! **

**WARNING: Random and corny jokes along with crazy insults all courtesy of Getsugan Kiyone. I know there will be a lot of jokes here but yeah they are all in good heart and good nature.**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"_How long has it been," Mai glanced out the window, murmuring softly to herself during her class. "It's as if... he never came back..."_

"_Nagisaki! Nagisaki Mai!"_

_The red head immediately swivelled her attention back to her teacher as her eyes widened when something she didn't understand appeared on the board. Her mind immediately went back to its original thought as she found the word "Freud" on the board and all her classmates staring at her. Shizuru sat behind her during her Psychology class and now she never understood why the world decided to screw around with her right at the moment when things did not want to cooperate. _

"_Name me any of the defence mechanisms stated by Freud and what evidence points to a human utilizing it."_

_Mai mentally began kicking herself; she never did like Psychology with all the terms coming up left and right but toying with people's minds seemed much more interesting than listening and learning what Freud did in his early life. The redhead groaned inwardly to herself until a paper slipped over her shoulder and into her palm. Puzzled, Mai opened it and found the statement "repression – unconsciously forgetting the memory in order to prevent stress being loaded onto the psyche. Suppression is a conscious act while repression is more based on the unconscious"._

_Mai inhaled deeply before putting on a confident smile, inwardly thanking Shizuru. "Repression is a defence mechanism that involves unconsciously forgetting the memory in order to prevent stress being loaded onto the psyche. Suppression is a conscious act while repression is more based on the unconscious. For example, when a person experiences a traumatic event such as a surgery from an accident – they 'forget' the memory by repressing it or putting it away into their subconscious."_

_The professor smiled lightly but slightly flinched at how Mai managed to answer confidently and calmly. "Very good and I hope you don't have to constantly rely on Shizuru to get the correct answers. As I was saying..."_

_As the professor continued to lecture on, Mai turned around to face the brunette who dutifully continued writing her notes with a black and red pen with a grateful smile. "Thanks."_

"_Anytime," Shizuru smiled softly as the teacher continued to lecture._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mai groaned inwardly to herself as she stared at one foot worth of readings on her left side and her books sitting dutifully on her right side in the library. She groaned slightly before picking up her Finance Textbook before going to the first three chapters and pulling out her calculator. She just had to take a business course; blech, Mai stuck her tongue out at the thick Finance Textbook. The red head groaned again before placing the calculator on the table. She wanted to bang her head on the table until she remembered how physical trauma could screw up her memory more than it could help her.

"Speaking of memories," Mai sadly traced her psychology book before pulling out her wallet to take a look at a picture of a blue haired male and she standing together after their first opening night of Black Swan. "I wonder... if it's possible that memories do come back no matter how long it has been..."

"It's very unlike you to be here."

Mai swivelled her head up and found Shizuru smiling at her before taking a seat next to her. "Hey..."

Shizuru noticed the forlorn look in her eyes as glanced at her notes. "I'm guessing your Finance teacher decided to throw you a curve ball known as a long test and you're still hung up on Yukimura."

Mai chuckled bitterly before sinking into her book, plopping her head on her book. "Nagisaki Mai shall sleep no more! Finance and Accounting – why am I taking this again?"

"Because you decided to take Management Engineering and you wanted to do something that will make people bow down to you," Shizuru dryly laughed as Mai swat the back of the brunette's shoulder. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You don't have to be so depressing."

Mai groaned before slamming her head on the desk again. "When did our roles reverse?"

"I don't know since you got caught by our professor thrice in one week because you were looking at Yukimura taking his botany class in the other building," Shizuru wistfully smiled before pulling out her own notes, placing them next to Mai. "You know what – let's do something else."

Mai stared quizzically; when did her friend become so hyper? "Since when did you get so easily distracted?"

"Fine I was simply thinking that you wanted to go check on the Valentines' Decoration since it was Niou decorating it and," before Shizuru could finish her statement, Mai suddenly stood up and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her across the hall. "Mai...!"

"You left Niou to decorate the party area!? ARE YOU INSANE OR SOMETHING," Mai immediately dragged the poor girl all the way to the party hall. There was no way the place could not go un-booby trapped with Niou working on the decorations committee! "Why did you leave Niou to do that?"

"Fuji and Tezuka were with him so I don't think there would be a problem," Shizuru meekly hid her face from the wrath of her best friend. "Mai, they're gonna be fine!"

"That's what you ALWAYS say!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"What? I'm hurt – you guys still don't trust me to do these things?"

Mai and Shizuru could only gape at what Niou and Fuji had pulled off given the little material they had. There were streamers and the DJ table stayed near the stage while the many tables were covered with both white and red table cloth with a single long stemmed rose in the middle of the whole table. The dance floor was clear of anything as streamers linked to one big balloon holding another set of balloons on top. Fuji on the other hand decorated the room with some nice plants instead of his usual cacti although each place had its own special cactus sitting near the roses. Red and pink ribbons along with confetti filled up the bubble as Mai could only gape and nod at the progress.

"I am impressed," Mai glanced at Niou, shaking her head. "How the hell did you manage to pull this off?"

"Because I'm awesome that way, babe," Niou grinned until Mai pinched his shoulder, causing him to wince at how deep her nails managed to cut. "Ow, you didn't have to do that. What's with girls and their nails anyway?"

Mai shook her head with a dry laughter, snickering at Niou's snort in protest. "I like keeping my nails long so that I can pinch you so hard and make sure you stay in line. Remember – Isane is not exactly here to watch you and you're not exactly the rear end of a horse either."

Niou chuckled lightly as he raked his fingers through his hair, twirling around his rat tail. "I know but even Isane knows now to trust me. I'm not that fickle, Nagisaki. Besides, with the whole blast of red – I'm sure even _buchou_ would get a knock out of it."

Mai froze slightly at Niou's words; there was one person he always called _buchou_. "Wait, you don't mean...?"

"Shizuru figured that the only way to force memories out is to have it strike hard at the persona or whatever she meant when she said something about the collective unconscious and the unconscious," Niou shrugged nonchalantly as he strolled around the room, giving the girls a tour. "Shizuru said you mentioned to her about Yukimura seeing nothing but bright red he tries to recall something, she said if it was a lot stronger in force the mind will just have to remember. That's why she asked for your favourite playlist and some of your friends to come over. Besides, I don't get all this Jungian or this Neo-Freudian crap she started spouting off and Tezuka had to translate everything in layman English."

Mai blinked several times incredulously before looking at Shizuru talking to Tezuka about arranging something, narrowing her eyes in amusement and chuckling at Shizuru's psychology obsession. "Oh... So, that's why..."

She noticed how Tezuka had dropped his guard around Shizuru and how he would run his fingers through her hair gently. She remembered how Tezuka finally gained the guts to confess to her although it took a drastic measure as she watched him press his lips against his girlfriend's forehead while Shizuru smiled lightly and continued helping out the others with the decorations and the theme planning. Mai ran her own fingers through her red hair as she remembered how she imagined Yukimura doing the same thing to her. The bluenette had lost his memories after he had undergone his surgery but the only thing he had retained was his tennis and the many other things except her. She couldn't understand why; why did he remember everyone else but her? It frustrated her to no end.

"Sometimes, people need more than just colour and visuals to get a push," Niou chuckled lightly as he started skimming through the clear folder and tossing it to some other guy over his shoulder. "Auditory memories, hmm, considering you're the flamboyant type – I think he'd remember you more through music or anything that had a big impact on him regarding theatrics. Did you guys do anything? Or maybe knock yourselves out in a bed or something?"

Mai groaned; men and their strange assumptions of something else. "What the heck, Niou? Now why would we do that when I couldn't even date him when he was out there with Sumiyagi?"

"You never know," Niou shrugged nonchalantly, shoving his hands in his pocket until Mai pinched his ear. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, what the heck is wrong with you?"

"Niou, stop being such an idiot and help me fix this! How could you possibly think that hearts decorating the walls was a good idea," Mai dragged him across the room and shoved him in front of the wall. "Take those down. I expected something better. Use _origami_ flowers or something! Something that will put more life into this room and don't you dare go with some organic bomb!"

Niou scratched his head, shaking his head at the sight of the red head who was assigned to be the head of the decorations committee. "Geez, she's always so angry. I wonder how Isane put up with her."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I never knew that you would be dating Souma Fuuka of all people," Yukimura chuckled lightly as he took a placid sip from coffee, looking at Sanada with a wicked twinkle in his eye. "I think things ended quite well don't you think so?"

Sanada flushed thirty shades of red before continuing to drink his tea, hiding his blush under his cap. "Ah, I guess so."

Yukimura found himself sitting in a coffee shop after Apparently, Niou had invited him to Tokyo University's Valentine Ball to "score some hot chicks" for his _buchou_'s loveless life. The demi-god couldn't understand how Isane put up with Niou's crazy matchmaking ways but at least he had proved himself faithful to her. However, Yukimura still remembered he had a girlfriend to bring also to the Valentine Ball but why would Niou insist on going to this Valentine Ball alone? But something else had begun to bother him especially regarding the red haired cat-eyed _tensai_ who had piqued his interest. Her flowing movements, the glow in her bright amber gold eyes – there was something there but even until then, red colours began flashing in his mind every time he had tried to remember. Letting out a defeated sigh, Yukimura continued to stir his coffee while looking at the Valentine themed windows and shops lining across the street. Bright red roses bloomed in the park as a small smile curved up his lips. He remembered the girl with the bright red hair and flashing gold eyes.

"Nagisaki Mai, Hyotei's Queen of Spades if I recall correctly," Yukimura leaned on his elbows, facing Sanada. "Sanada, didn't you like her before?"

"It was her best friend; Nagisaki seemed too crazy for my taste," Sanada sighed deeply, folding his arms. "Then again, nobody is crazier than Fuuka."

"I'm guessing you're going also to the Valentine Ball then," Yukimura smiled lightly as he finished his cup of coffee. "Actually, I've always wondered. There was something that connected me to her..."

Sanada raised an eyebrow at his former _buchou_.

"I mean Nagisaki, not your girlfriend," Yukimura chuckled lightly, noticing the stone expression on Sanada's face. "She always had this certain flair to her. Her bright red hair and she always liked toying with her opponents' minds. She had this smile on her face that really showed when she enjoyed herself during those tennis matches."

"She will be there tonight though," Sanada glanced his watch as his eyes slightly widened, realizing he only had 3 hours before things flew out of hand. "I have to go. I'm going to go get the corsage for Fuuka."

Yukimura nodded as Sanada bowed on his way out, looking at the coffee for a moment. Sighing deeply to himself, the bluenette glanced at the pin he had gained from the Nationals before looking back at how Rikkai Dai was unable to make it a three-time thing. Hyotei Gakuen had secured their championship through the girls' division. Seigaku had also won the men's division and Echizen had been tossed in the air several times while Tezuka had cracked out a smile for the very first time according to most people. He also saw how the Hyotei team had danced around like crazy while tossing their respective _buchou_ and _tensai_ in the air before hugging and tackling all the seniors. He ran his fingers through his hair before pondering deeply; there were some questions that needed answering.

Standing up from his chair, Yukimura headed out of the café while pondering deeply on the unanswered questions.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Shizuru, how does this dress look on me," Mai spun around in a gold dress with a white gold designed balloon skirt and gold gladiator sandals, smiling after she had her hair done before staring in horror and admonishment. "And you! You insane woman, why are you wearing black of all colours!? We're not going to a funeral!"

"It's slimming and professional looking," Shizuru deadpanned at the red haired girl as the _tensai_ flung her dormitory closet open with a loud _bam_, shocking the brunette. "Mai, why do you...?"

"Have a closet as big as a mini-store? Because," Mai grinned evilly as she snapped her fingers, causing a whole rack of dresses automatically shoot out. "I AM NAGISAKI MAI! I had Hitomi build this for me before the school year started. Isn't it amazing? Besides, I am NOT repeating the same outfit I wore last time! It's a crime to repeat clothes!"

Shizuru blinked several times while shaking her head in shock, seeing a whole row of shoes suddenly shot out. "Um, Mai – the only time I needed something like this was when I still worked for L.X.A. All of the room I needed was for the guns and weapons that I had to keep in my cabinet along with my disguises."

"Yes dear, you kept armalites in that closet of yours – what a waste of space," Mai waved her hand dismissively at the brunette, causing the former _buchou_ to pout. "So, what dress do I have for you here?"

"We're not the same size, Mai," Shizuru shook her head until Mai dragged her into the shop-like closet and throwing out all her dresses onto Shizuru, effectively burying the poor girl under the pile until Shizuru managed to pop out her head for breathing space under the pile. "Mai, I think you shouldn't...!"

"No time to explain, get in there and change your clothes! You wore that dress last year," Mai grinned evilly as her best friend got shoved into the dressing room. "Now hurry up and change!"

Watching Shizuru sigh in defeat and try on the dresses, Mai happily returned to her bed before looking at herself in the mirror. She glanced at Shizuru's side of the room and noticed how neat it was in comparison to her huge clothes and fashion mess. But then again, Shizuru had the most basic of clothes and barely had feminine tops. The red head glanced at the one picture lying on Shizuru's desk before taking a closer look and inwardly reminded herself to thank the Seigaku _tensai_ for capturing that one moment: Shizuru and Tezuka's first kiss. After that drastic incident that had caused Tezuka to gain some courage, Mai grinned at the very thought of now having the permission and authority to tease Shizuru about when Tezuka and her are really going steady, get married and have kids. The very mentioning of that topic would have Shizuru blushing bright red as her hair and Tezuka looking away or focusing on something else, completely eluding the topic. She then glanced at the photographs that showed the way they had brought home the Nationals before pinching some of her skin on her stomach. Had she gained that much weight ever since?

"Damn, I hope I didn't gain too much weight or I am so screwed," Mai groaned before lying flat on her bed, waiting for Shizuru. "Jesus Christ! Woman, how long are you going to try pulling up a zipper for a dress?! What don't tell me you can't zip up your own fly when you wear jeans?!"

"As long as it takes me because I have shorter arms and a stiff body, you impatient human," Shizuru let out a disgruntled snort and emphasized on the last end of her sentence, struggling with the zipper and sending Mai hooting in laughter. "Mai, I don't understand why I have to be OVER THE TOP like you."

"Because unlike those irrelevant ladies out there, you are my best friend and you are supposed to be fabulous! You're so hopeless that it's cute," Mai grinned before pushing herself off the bed before walking to the brunette. "You know – I wonder how Tezuka stands the fact you can't zip up a dress properly."

Shizuru rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I think it's because we both prefer looking NORMAL in jeans or slacks or a dress that is a slip on! Besides Mai, you were perfectly fine with the black dress last week."

"That was last week, you dim bulb," Mai whacked the former _buchou_'s head playfully, grinning mockingly. "The Fashion Industry never sleeps on one design for a whole week, you idiot! You should know better than that with me as your best friend! You know, you've been so dense that you'd sink like a rock in water since you've displaced too much."

Shizuru massaged her temples and let out a groan at Mai as the _tensai_ finally zipped up the dress, straightening out the hem. "Mai, please no – no chemistry references. I am already worried for my grades Chemistry."

"Nah, you'll be fine. Not only that, you can imagine how you are Oxygen and Tezuka's Magnesium. You guys would be like OMG," Mai chucked in delight, seeing how Shizuru cringed and twitched slightly. "Besides, even if there's another Oxygen molecule that comes into the relationship you'll be like 'how about NO?'."

"Mai," Shizuru narrowed her eyes at her roommate, gesturing to an extremely small margin between two of her fingers. "I am extremely close to whacking your daylights out RIGHT NOW. Then again," – a huge smirk appeared on the former captain's lips; two could play at that game. "I'm not the one with slanted eyes that even dental floss can be used as a blindfold."

Mai frowned at her best friend; where had she learned to back sass? "Shizuru, you are a freakin' racist."

"I'm not being racist; I am not referring to your Japanese nationality and who said I was referring to you," Shizuru rolled her eyes again, pulling out another dress from the pile behind her. "I'm saying that all the little things we've threw at Yukimura are not working. We have to get more horrific with the results; something that will earn the term 'disasterrific' or at least Chris Brown the thought into his stupid head."

Mai gawked in astonishment; was her best friend beginning to plot or was it just her? "Shizuru, you are becoming insanely scary. And secondly, where did all those insults come from?"

"I've only learned from the best," Shizuru smiled slyly at the _tensai_, sending shivers down the female _nekojin_'s spine. "Besides, Kiyone does invent very funny terms and it did stick at some point. How she managed to associate the word 'beat' to Chris Brown just because of an exploded tabloid regarding his relationship with Rihanna is way beyond me."

"Yeah, she always never forgets to mention how she has to Chris Brown your remote for your TV because it wouldn't change channel," Mai snickered in laughter as she pulled out a make-up kit, checking her canister of make-up brushes.

Soon, the room fell into silence as Mai continued doing Shizuru's makeup. The _tensai_ giggled inwardly and saw how Shizuru was twitching due to not being used to having make-up on her face; something perhaps Tezuka had adored the brunette for. At the thought of this however, the red head frowned as she wondered: what did Yukimura see in her before? Why did he entrust his team to her when she was from a rival school back in middle school? Nothing made sense. Nevertheless, she started to wonder whether or not forcefully inducing Yukimura's memory flashback was a good idea. She sighed deeply and wondered at the pain the boy would have to go through.

"Ow!"

Mai suddenly snapped out of her day dream when she found out she had poked Shizuru's eye with the eyeliner. "Whoops, sorry dear."

"Its fine," Shizuru scrunched up her nose a bit and blinked to ease the pain, shaking her head while trying to fix her hair. "You shouldn't worry too much about it, Mai. You still have a dance performance later on."

Mai's eyes widened slightly; how could she forget? She had her own performance later on with the Company of Tokyo Dancers along with some other things other than making sure the program went on properly and all the preparations were perfect. Fuuka although had the strict supervision and Niou had some insane and fabulous sense of fashion and design, Mai felt there were other things that was going to happen. Even though Niou had mentioned that the former Rikkai Dai _buchou_ would attend the ball, will tonight be enough to help him remember who she was or at least acknowledge that she had some impact on his life? In fact, the _tensai_ started questioning whether or not it was out of love that she was desperately trying to bring his memories back or was she vying for his affections? She then walked over to her iPod and started choosing through her songs before finally clicking shuffle.

_Like a movie scene_

_In the sweetest dreams_

_I have pictured us together_

_Now to feel your lips_

_On my fingertips_

_I have to say is even better_

_Then I ever thought it could possibly be_

_It's perfect, it's passion, and it's setting me free_

_From all of my sadness_

_The tears that I've cried_

_I have spent all of my life_

Mai pressed her fingers against her lips before shaking her head, ignoring the salty crystals that started forming in her eyes. She remembered the time she had to do the part of a Latina girl who wanted to learn how to dance in one of the plays that they had put out. The whole play in itself was interpretive dance; she smiled bitterly upon remembering her first performance with Yukimura. At that time, her cousins wanted her also to get involved the dance industry as well and she did while training Yukimura. The redheaded _tensai_ sighed deeply as she pulled out another dress and started looking through her other clothes while Shizuru helped her start cleaning up. How could she make Yukimura remember her? Love supposedly conquered all but this was reality; Mai shook her head and continued closing up her make-up kits.

"You know, I think I know what your problem is," Shizuru smiled lightly as she placed all of Mai's clothes back on the hangers and racks. "As Oshitari-_senpai_ would say, you're doing too much quantity and not enough quality."

Mai blinked several times as Shizuru pulled out another dress with a pair of heels with a grin. Mai stared at the boldness of the dress instead of the gold one she wore. The dress glittered with a light peach colour with a huge slit on the side that revealed her left thigh with sequins decorating the top and a long translucent salmon coloured sash hanging from the tube-like top. The dress heavily emphasized on the curves before flaring out at the end like a mermaid dress while Shizuru held a pair of gold peep-toe pumps much to the red head's surprise. When did Shizuru get a sense of fashion?

"How about we try something that has intense quality without much quantity?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Yukimura started digging through his closet, wondering where he had thrown his suit. He had probably worn it only once in his life, judging it based on how wrinkled it was after he found it buried inside the drawers. His fingers traced the smooth black cloth before wondering when he wore the suit. He ransacked through his memory; did Sanada borrow it? Probably not – Sanada had his own fair share of formal events and he would have his own suit. Niou definitely had his own suit and Niou slightly towered over him so the pants would have been too short. Besides, the silver blue haired trickster would have come up with something more dashing and bold considering his mischievous personality. Marui could have but he remembered going to his own Autumn Ball back in Rikkai Dai and the Magician definitely had his own suit after he went out Tokiko. Kirihara was too short and Yanagi also had his own, Yagyuu definitely did also considering he came from a high class family like Niou. He noticed the crimp marks on his suit before letting out a sigh – he remembered going out with Sumiyagi but there was another time he used it. He gripped his hair in frustration before letting out a huge sigh.

_Why... Why can't I remember?_

A sharp pain suddenly shot through his head as he saw another flash of red, burning into his eyes. He had gotten used to it long ago but the pains were becoming more frequent especially when he had seen the young woman dance for the Tokyo University dance troupe. The flowing movement captivated him and her smiles drew him in as he let started tracing his skin and remembered how he would imagine how smooth her hands would be. The sight of her would cause his heart to flutter but the blue haired former _buchou_ of the Rikkai Dai team shook his head in frustration and annoyance: where had he seen her before? He remembered her in middle school but something started yanking him forward. His mind throbbed in pain with an axe-splitting pain as a screeching sound started screaming in his ears. The flashes of red became increasingly repetitive as the flashes slammed against him back and forth. Yukimura staggered and fell to the ground, gripping his head.

"Ah," Yukimura winced and bit his lower lip to prevent any screaming as the flashes continued to assault him, curling up. "S-Stop...!"

He felt his body heating up like crazy and instead of flashes, someone now stood in front of him. A blackened figure but with long vibrant red hair and she seemed to smile at him before twirling around. His eyes widened when he saw black feathers falling onto the ground as her childish laughter echoed in his ears. The screeching had suddenly stopped as he pushed himself to get up and try to hold her. His hands trembled and his throat ran dry while Yukimura tried feeling out who this person was. The young woman danced with him, twirling him around and he soon found his body following after.

"These dance steps," Yukimura soon spun the shadow around as he started dancing and sliding across the room gracefully. "Why... Why does it seem so familiar?"

"Yukimura, wake up!"

The bluenette snapped out of his daze and found Sanada standing in front of him, holding his suit. "Yukimura, what happened?"

Shaking his head, the bluenette captain could barely say anything as the shadowy figure that he had been dancing with vanished from his fingertips. However, he then found in his hand bright red strings amongst his fingers as he traced them gently. Where did they come from? Many questions began popping back and forth and perplexed him to no end. Biting his lower lip and gnashing his teeth, he felt his whole body trembling violently while looking straight at the mirror in front of him.

"I don't know myself," Yukimura shivered lightly as he tried to regain his composure, soon relaxing himself. "Gen, can you please get me my meds? It's on the table."

Sanada blinked several times before frowning darkly; he knew it had to be something horrible and disturbing for Yukimura to become dependent on the medicine. "It's the red flashes again isn't it? Or should I say the girl with red hair?"

"That damn feeling - it's annoying," Yukimura slammed his palm against the wall, grinding his teeth in frustration. "It's like knowing something and not knowing it at the same time!"

Sanada stood quietly in front of his captain who started hitting the wall in frustration. Although he had seen the captain have a mental breakdown once or twice, the former vice captain quietly waited for his captain to regain his composure and pick up the medicine box lying next to Yukimura's bed on the dresser. As roommates, Yukimura had informed him that there would be times he would have horrible mental and memory flashbacks and warned him ahead of time on the severity. But the pills are not going to be enough, Sanada darkly glared at the medicine sitting in his palm, placing the medicine back on the bed. It was time to take things into their own hands!

"Yukimura, maybe seeing her tonight may ring a few bells," Sanada caught Yukimura's flailing fists as the effeminate male started to crumble. "Fight, Yukimura! You remember the law of Rikkai don't you?"

"To never lose in a battle or a game no matter what," Yukimura smiled bitterly as his head hung shamefacedly, clenching his hands tightly into fists. "This is not just any battle, Sanada. How can I battle when I can't even figure out what I'm looking for?"

Sanada chuckled lightly before pulling up Yukimura to his feet. "I think your answer will be found tonight. As much as I don't want to trust him, Niou may have found the answer to your problem."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Night immediately rolled in as Mai walked in with Shizuru and Tezuka. Although she refused to impose, the other two were pretty adamant about it. The red head could only sigh; if ever those two would get into an argument and with each other's level of tenacity, she could imagine the hell the world would have to pay. However, she couldn't help but congratulate herself when Tezuka saw Shizuru in a dress. She wanted to make his eyes widen and his jaw slightly drop and the tensai giggled inwardly to herself with giddy and joy. The huge Valentines' Ball also had invited the students from other universities as a form of goodwill for the sports seasons.

"Mai-senpai!"

The red head swivelled around and found a familiar tangerine haired buxom female grinning at her. "Oh my God, Ayane – you're here!"

Ayane grinned as they both hugged each other tightly with her looking around. "Mai, where's your date? Didn't you ask anyone or did anyone ask you?"

"I went stag for tonight, Niou said he had something planned and I hope I can still ask Isane to shoot him if something goes wrong," Mai chuckled lightly and raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. "So, where's yours?"

"I let Keigo go play with his friends," Ayane giggled and dismissively waved her hands before looking at Mai's dress. "Wow, you decided to really become an eye-catcher! Who designed your dress?"

Mai shrugged nonchalantly, placing a finger on her lips. "You know, I don't remember. But I just know that Shizuru suddenly suggested I wear this."

"No," Ayane stared agape at the tensai, placing her hands on her mouth in shock. "Our fashion-stupid buchou managed to get you to agree to something? You – the fashion queen? Mai!"

"I know right? The world suddenly went upside down today," Mai rolled her eyes and laughed lightly, tousling with her red tendrils that Shizuru curled up. "Would you believe she did all the things we did to her when she was getting ready?"

Ayane shrugged nonchalantly, giggling. "Lemme guess, she tied you to a chair and tied both your legs to both legs of the chair and glued you to your seat?"

"Yeah but she did it so much better," Mai swallowed hard upon remembering the wrestling match both she and Shizuru had. "Sometimes, I forget her father is Jin Kazama and she has Mishima stuff running in her blood. Come to think of it, she did have a crazy sense of tenacity. Think she inherited it from them too?"

Ayane shrugged her shoulders before dragging Mai along. "I dunno but come on, I wanna meet the rest of the guys! Are they here? Anyone else get married?"

"Nope, you're the only one dear," Mai grinned sardonically at the tangerine haired girl as Ayane visibly paled in comparison to her normal skin.

"NOOOO, THIS IS ALL KEIGO'S FAULT," Ayane slammed her face into the table with her fists, nearly breaking it. "Why me?"

"Because you got stuck with a man that's why," Mai chuckled lightly as Ayane flicked an olive at her, snorting in annoyance. "Hey! What was that for?"

Ayane snickered lightly, folding her arms in triumph. "That's for teasing me about getting married. By the way, I heard Tezuka finally grew a pair and asked Shizuru out. How did that happen?"

"Yeah, how did it happen?"

Mai swivelled her head around and found the whole former tennis team standing behind her including the seniors, much to her shock. Kotetsu Naomi had her usually placid smile with her brown hair cascading past her shoulders and leading Osakada Yuri, Ichigetsu Konan and the others. Shizuru also had a huge smirk on her face that sent shivers up Mai's spine but standing behind her were their seniors: Momo, Haruka, Rin, Isane and Hitomi along with the team's baby Kiyone. Momo had started her own company and had been earning big bucks ever since she had finally established her company in Tokyo and away from Kanagawa. She still retained her _hime-_cut hair style that matched her flowing sparkling navy blue dress. Haruka and Rin, twins as always, wore an oriental theme to their clothes with some short _kimono_ style dresses with Haruka's hair up in a bun with two red chopsticks while Rin had gold ones. Mai knew that these two were working together in the Hikifumi Industry ever since she and Rin had gone to the same college. Hitomi's blonde hair still remained the curly fashion statement that it did and her glasses still remained the same except her dress ballooned out into a blue and white patterned dress. Isane had a lavender empire cut dress that reached her knees. Kiyone had gone with a one-shouldered dark charcoal gray short dress with her sandy blonde hair still the same length and with dangling diamond earrings. Mai had remembered Kiyone being only 4'8 but now she stood at 5'3 which was almost her height.

"Oh my gosh, you guys are all here," Mai gawked in astonishment at Shizuru who simply shrugged it off. "How the hell did you get everyone here? And you guys look exactly the way I remember you guys: gorgeous and fabulous!"

Shizuru twirled her wavy brown locks on her fingers, shrugging and looking at the decorations. "Oh with a little this and that, I think even you were capable of pulling it off."

"We had to learn one way or another," Momo smirked lightly as she took her seat, with the others pulling out chairs. "So, how are things?"

Before Mai could say anything, Shizuru cut in smoothly. "Guys, the reason why I called you all today is also to help her with a little cognitive readjustment."

Naomi chuckled lightly, brushing her brown hair back. "Well, if it's one thing we Hyotei are known for – it's for getting things done. So, what do we need to do?"

"So, where is this nitwit," Konan let out a disgruntled snort, leaning on her elbows on the table. "Why don't we just hit him with a mallet and get it over with?"

Tsunami rolled her eyes with a snort, tossing back her hair. "Goodness, Konan! We are not here to give him concussions."

Mai groaned and looked at Shizuru who pretended to be completely unaware of the whole thing. "You planned this. And I thought you weren't the scheming type."

"Ah but desperate times call for drastic measures," Shizuru checked over Momo's shoulder before glancing at Isane, upon seeing Yukimura and Sanada with Fuuka enter. "Let's begin."

"Wait, what," Mai stared in astonishment as the music began to change into something more her playlist; Shizuru thought that far ahead!? "Jesus, Shizuru – are you frickin' kidding me?"

"Does it look like I am," Shizuru chuckled lightly while Mai lightly slapped the back of her head.

"Bitch," Mai scowled playfully, folding her arms with an impish snort. "You were planning something this crazy the whole time!"

"The feeling's mutual," Shizuru smirked lightly while dodging Mai's attempt to swat her head. "Now you know how I feel when you tried forcing Tezuka to confess by creating circumstances with Fuji. Payback's a total bitch – isn't it?"

"Babe, there you are!"

Isane and the others swivelled their head up and found Niou in his usual dashing suit. Niou had his usual rat tail dangling around from his hair and his slightly open inner shirt. However, what Mai didn't expect was standing next to Niou stood Yukimura in a charcoal gray suit. He still had the soft appearance and a very effeminate smile and Mai couldn't help but turn red at how dashing and amazing he looked in a suit. The other girls from the Hyotei team could only gawk while the former Middle School team sighed at Mai's love-struck form.

On the other hand, Yukimura couldn't believe what he was seeing.

When Sanada mentioned to him that Niou may have the answer to his problems, he didn't expect seeing the red haired dance troupe sitting in front of him. He could tear his eyes off the slit that showed her well-toned tanned leg and how the dress heavily accented her curves. Despite being slightly darker than most Japanese girls, Yukimura found her complexion well accented by her red hair and her gleaming golden _nekojin_ eyes.

"_Konbawa minna_, my name is Yukimura Seiichi," Yukimura smiled lightly as Mai remained completely stunned. "Nagisaki-_san_, it's been quite awhile! Ah, is there something on my face?"

Hearing that Yukimura had popped up a question instantly snapped her out of her daze. "Ah, no! Sorry, I was just shocked... yeah, shocked..."

_Damn it Mai, pull yourself together!_

The _tensai_ couldn't believe that her former _buchou_ managed to pull a fast one. She soon found herself staring at Yukimura who looked completely oblivious to Niou's insane planning. Throwing a sideward glare at Shizuru, Mai then smiled lightly as she stood up while trying to maintain whatever her composure was left. Her heart began to pound and beat loudly against her chest as she looked around.

"So, would you like something to drink, Yukimura-_san_," Mai smiled lightly, ignoring the bitter taste the word 'Yukimura-_san_' left on her tongue.

Shizuru, seeing that the conversation was getting nowhere, pressed a few buttons and sent a message before closing and locking her phone. "God, I thought I was bad."

"She's being too conscious about the fact that he's a fucking amnesiac," Konan scowled before popping another roasted garlic peanut in her mouth. "Dangnamit, woman – just tell him he's a bloody fucking amnesiac already!"

"Tut tut, Konan – language," Naomi wagged her finger in a coaxing manner, watching Mai escort Yukimura away. "But I think we're gonna have quite a night no?"

Meanwhile, Yukimura found himself completely blustered and flabbergasted by the idea of being escorted by Tokyo University's Ooh-La-La girl. He couldn't peel his eyes off her and Yukimura felt daggers but he brushed them off easy. He had a reputation in middle school and damn straight was he going to keep it! As he continued to walk along, the flashes seemingly backed down as he looked at the young woman walking next to him and handing him a drink. She seemed so familiar and her stance and the way she look was similar to that of the shadow that he had seemingly begun to dance with awhile ago.

"Soda or juice," Mai grinned lightly as Yukimura snapped himself out of his daze.

"Juice would be nice," Yukimura gratefully accepted the drink as he looked at the other couples finally getting on the dance floor, realizing that may just be the answer. "Nagisaki-_san_?"

"Hmm," Mai swivelled her attention towards him, noticing that his hand was stretched towards her.

"Would you like to dance?" Yukimura smiled kindly but deep down he was also horrified of what he was doing; HE BARELY KNEW HOW TO DANCE!

"Um, sure," Mai smiled sweetly as she placed her hand in Yukimura's palm.

_Oh my God, I don't know how to ballroom dance!_

Mai watched Atobe easily lead around Ayane in the waltz and despite her own dance prowess – ballroom or slow dance had her stumbling and clumsily moving around. But slowly the rhythm began to settle in as they both started dancing to the music. She smiled lightly as her gown started to flow with her movement while Yukimura seemed to glide. Her eyes widened when black and white confetti started to rain from the ceiling and everyone mysteriously cleared the dance floor. However, she seemed to notice as well the music seemed so familiar.

"This is," Mai started looking around until Yukimura started visibly twitching. "Yukimura-_san_?"

Yukimura on the other hand soon started feeling a sharp pain striking his head. The throbbing intensified as the voices around him began to fade into the background and everything began to swirl. Images flashed back and forth with bright red splotches and bright red strings until a white light flashed and completely consumed him. His eyes widened as he saw the shadow figure standing before him once again but instead with more figure. His eyes widened as the black skin started to crack away and reveal a very familiar tanned skin and glimmering gold _nekojin_ eyes with the usual feline-like smile on her face.

"Yukimura-_kun_, don't be afraid okay? Take my hand."

As Yukimura stretched out to reach and the moment he made contact, soon more images began to flood in whirling speed. He could feel his head splitting but she wouldn't let go of his hand. He saw himself dancing with the black swan with a girl with bright crimson red hair as she danced her part with him as the Black Swan. He saw himself tutoring that same girl in math and calculus before hearing loud sounds of tennis balls cracking in his mind, watching her play against someone from another school. However, there was one event that finally enlarged itself to make him see better. A few moments later, he found himself standing in a hospital hallway leading to a surgery room. He frowned slightly as he heard a gurney being wheeled in and found himself lying on it.

"What," Yukimura turned around as he faced the very same girl that despite the black and white scenery, her red hair stood out. "Wait, Nagisaki-_san_?"

Instead of her usual proud form, she looked on the verge of crying and breaking. Her eyes literally watered as she screamed to the top of her lungs.

"I LOVE YOU, YUKIMURA!"

His eyes widened as more of her voice started to echo in his mind.

"_Hi, I'm Nagisaki Mai. What's yours? Sorry, I didn't expect the freshmen to be like that!"_

"_Um, Yukimura-kun – can you please help me?"_

"_You're so amazing in dancing, Yukimura-kun!"_

"_Don't worry, I'll watch over your team for you!"_

"_Meh, don't worry about me! Hyotei will win the Nationals!"_

"_I... I just wish you remembered who was really there for you..."_

Yukimura's eyes widened with shock as he remembered what his former girlfriend had told him. Rena had told him that she was the one passing by to make sure he was okay. She said that Rikkai Dai team back in middle school was entrusted to her. Everything had been a lie! No wonder he had been constantly seeing red flashes. His mind was trying to force him to remember something but he didn't have enough. His eyes widened as he realized while Niou set up the things the way they were.

"Black and white confetti and Tchaikovsky's movement of the Swan Lake," Yukimura found himself wearing his old costume as the Swan Prince. "She was my Black...!"

Screeching sounds shot into his mind as the whole world began to swirl around him again. He felt his head become extremely light headed until another voice screamed in fear.

"YUKIMURA-_KUN_!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A few moments later, Yukimura found himself lying on the bed in his dormitory. He winced the moment he tried sitting up, feeling like Kirihara's knuckle serve had smacked straight into his head. His senses felt like they were heavily amplified as the sunlight seemed fifty times brighter than it should. The bluenette felt his arms weigh him down on the bed as he tried moving his neck to look around only to see a silver blue haired trickster leaning against the wall with his former vice captain and a few more friends.

"Wow, that must've been one helluva flashback," Niou smirked and folded his arms, shrugging nonchalantly. "Well then again, you've got a psychology major undergraduate like Shizuru doing whatever was best to get you to remember her best friend so yeah – I expected this."

Yukimura shook his head and glanced at Shizuru. "You planned this?"

"Not quite, everything else fell in quite smoothly," Shizuru placidly took a seat on one of the chairs, folding her legs. "Now, I want to know something. Why did you have those flashes of red when you couldn't remember her? Normally, an amnesiac is not supposed to have those kinds of views unless it has lingered for a long time in the subconscious."

Yukimura blinked several times, staring incredulously at the brunette. "Excuse me?"

"Rough translation: why the heck do you see red when you can't even remember squat about her," Niou groaned at explaining things in layman's terms. "Geez, Shizuru – stop being such a damn psychology dictionary."

Shizuru rolled her eyes sarcastically at the Trickster. "That was as easy as I could make it, Niou-_san_."

"Putting the point aside," Tezuka interrupted, immediately shutting down Niou's instigation. "Can you at least remember when those red flashes began?"

Yukimura hung his head lightly, gripping the sheets. "It all started after the surgery for my Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Whenever I saw her, there were these bright red flashes and I could feel my heart pounding and she," –his eyes widened in realization. "She confessed to me!"

"Bingo we have a winner," Niou chuckled lightly as Yukimura threw off the covers. "Wow _buchou_, I didn't know you took at least five years to figure that out!"

"I dated another girl and left her hanging," Yukimura mentally began kicking himself internally; how could he have been so stupid? His affections for her didn't just start now but even way before! "God, what have I...? No, okay – time to gather my wits together. Kurenai-_san_, where is she now?"

"I'm not letting you out."

Yukimura froze as Shizuru stood up and faced him with her bright red eyes glimmering heatedly. Instead of her usual serene expression, it had an expression very akin to an invitation from Death. The bluenette however stood his ground and narrowed his eyes darkly at the younger girl. Despite his aura, Shizuru had not moved from her spot and her eyes continued to keep that dark glow. He knew Tezuka's girlfriend was stubborn but he didn't expect her to stand her ground against him. Last time he checked, Mai had more say in things than she did. When did she toughen up?

"Know this," Shizuru narrowed her eyes at the bluenette, keeping a stolid gaze. "Hurt Mai and there will be hell to pay."

Yukimura said nothing before keeping his lavender gaze sharply focused on the younger girl, steeling his stance. "Oh I am very well aware of that."

Shizuru nodded stiffly as Yukimura sauntered right past her, leaving the brunette to smile faintly under her breath.

"Did you really have to rile him," Sanada raised an eyebrow and Tezuka glanced at his girlfriend.

Suddenly, her red eyes glinted with a different colour as everyone could've sworn the light went on and off as she smiled darkly. "Who said I was joking when I said that there will be hell to pay?"

Sanada actually shuddered and glanced at Tezuka. "Does she do this often?"

Tezuka shrugged and let out a sigh, paling slightly at the sight of the dark red glint in her eyes. "It's a once a month thing. She's a lot tamer than most of her relatives."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mai stood outside in the lobby, looking at her cellphone. She sighed deeply to herself before looking straight into the ceiling and taking in the silence. Yukimura luckily had collapsed in her arms and everyone was still able to enjoy the night. He barely let out a sound but shoved both his hands in his mouth to prevent himself from screaming. She remembered his features when they were twisted in pain, shivering fearfully. He paled completely and his body began to shudder as if he was undergoing some epileptic shock and luckily, the rest of team had everyone distracted. Mai then realized why Shizuru had called in the whole brigade. Ayane now had the resources, Kiyone could easily distract people and with Rin and Haruka's Wu Shu performance – things went on smoothly. Did her friends know the kind of psychological shock he would go through? That she didn't know.

"Nagisaki-_san_, no should I say Mai-_chan_?"

Mai froze and swivelled her direction and found the bluenette standing in front of her with a melancholic smile. "Oh, Yukimura-_san_, how are you...?"

"Fine, thank you," Yukimura smiled before taking a seat next to her in the lobby.

An awkward silence soon ensued as both teens remained increasingly silent and fidgety. Yukimura, now gained back his memories, snuck a glance at the red head as she started playing with her cellphone. He slowly inched his hand towards hers as he pulled out something from his pocket. Something that Shizuru had handed to him before he stormed out to go find her. In his hand, a pendant with a shattered chain sat in his hands. Shizuru said she had picked it up when Mai had carelessly thrown it away into the trash bin back in middle school and Mai had always proudly worn that necklace because he and she had the same one from the opening night of Black Swan.

"Mai-_chan_, I remember everything," Yukimura shook his head in shock as he faced her. "I'm sorry... It must've been..."

"No it's fine," Mai smiled weakly, trying to keep her wits together. "I'm just happy your memories aren't botched up anymore."

Yukimura saw the tears brimming at her eyes as he took her hand and placed the shattered necklace in her hand. "I think I know why I kept seeing those red flashes. I remembered how you always taught me how to dance and be yourself in front of the people you are with. I remembered you for your lively spirit and passion. Red is a symbol of all that and I think it's because... You confessed to me that day when I was about to have my surgery and I think I still owe you a response..."

"You don't have to," Mai shook her head until Yukimura held her by the chin. "Eh?"

He gently smiled before pressing his lips against her cheek, running his fingers through the red strands of hair. "Well, I think we have your bright red hair to thank. Because, if you had some other colour – I highly doubt I'd remember. The girl with the red hair – no, the girl with the red strings of fate..."

_Love may take awhile to find. Love doesn't normally work out in reality. But we can only hope to find where our red string leads. Look deep into your heart. Look deep into your mind and grasp onto your dreams and hold on tight because you never know where Love may find you._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

After seeing Yukimura off, Shizuru and Mai went out for a walk with the other team members who were just as happy as Mai was. All of them sat in the coffee shop Raindrop Avenue, now happy that Mai had finally dealt with her problem. Haruka allowed them to use the café past closing time for private sessions.

"Jesus! Shizuru, did you really have to go that far?"

"It depends how powerful you wanted it, Mai. Besides, I was getting annoyed that your little things weren't working. A little psychological warfare never hurts."

"Did you have to go overboard, _buchou_?"

"Your husband does it."

"Shizuru, just because Atobe does it does not mean you can do it too."

"Meh, _Gomene, Gomene,_ I won't do it again. Besides, it's a once in a life time thing. Admit it Mai, would you have come up with a better plan?"

_*stays silent for a moment*_ "Well, I'll admit. Your plan was..."

"Disasterrific?"

"Yeah but thank you, I really wonder how you got Tezuka to not restrain you."

"The question is more how I managed to stop him from restraining me." _*has evil glint in her eyes that cause her red eyes to glow*_

_*shivers before smirking slightly* _"Shit, he's probably scared witless by you. I can clearly see who wears the pants in the relationship."

_*blushing madly* _"W-What!? Mai, don't assume stupid things!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**And that's MaixYukimura for you! I kinda noticed everyone loves this pairing! I think it's because this is the closest to reality in comparison to the other girls. I dunno, it's just my assumption! Next up: Kiyone and Shiraishi. That's if – the reviews get my brain juices working! Please review!**


	4. SengokuxMomo: Lucky To Be Yours

**Me: Hey guys! I know it's been awhile since I last added a one-shot to this collection but I finally got a request and henceforth - I shall start writing again! XD Hooray! Anyhow, I do not own any of the characters except the OCs. Also, I'm going to be revamping Tezuka's and Shizuru's. I kinda thought it needed more spice so - prepare for better story!**

**SengokuXMomo: **Lucky to Be Yours

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_Sengoku walked along with Momo as they made their way towards the restaurant. The Shinigami rubbed her hands together as she glanced at other women glancing at Sengoku. Fair enough, the orange haired boy jovially waved back at them. She had grown used to it; his constant friendliness. His smiles were different; she could tell. Despite being the cousin of a statue, Momo knew how his smiles could speak for himself. Momo chuckled inwardly when she found the other girls shying away when they saw her._

_"You know Momo," Sengoku grinned goofily, wrapping his arm around her. "You're really different."_

_Momo sighed dejectedly; trust him to pull off a pick-up line like that. "Yes but in magnetism - two different things attract. It's usually what explains how people call sense how the other feels."_

_Sengoku smiled before stepping in front of her to face her. "Ne, Momo-chan - we're not too different, are we?"_

_Momo flicked his forehead with a reassuring grin. "If we were too different, we would have been like Atobe and Ayane."_

_Sengoku held her hand while continuing to walk her to the restaurant. Momo smiled inwardly to herself once again as she continued walking on. She knew they were different and they've been living in the same apartment for a long time now. She glanced at her finger where her engagement ring glistened. She remembered how the Sanada family took it and boy, did they want her to break up with him. With a little help from her friends and a cousin, Momo managed to maintain her relationship. However, the Sanada clan warned her before she left._

_"Just remember - these things don't last forever. You guys have no point of commonality."_

_Yes, we don't have that. But in difference - we find commonality. In that same commonality, we find perfection._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**RING. RING.**

"Agh," Momo groaned before turning around in her bed to slap the alarm clock. "Stop ringing."

As the clock died, Momo found herself staring out the window of the condominium. She brushed away the sweat from her body as she let out an annoyed sigh. A pounding headache throbbed against her skull as she slowly moved off the bed and headed towards the bathroom. The former _Shinigami_ let the water run for a few moments as she stared into the mirror. She winced slightly at the cold marble that bit into her feet however when she looked up a pair of dark eye-bags met her.

"Good Lord, I thought I have been sleeping better lately," Momo stepped out of the shower and began washing her face, sighing deeply. "Hm?"

After a hot shower, she threw water into her face until something else stared back at her. Instead of her reflection, she saw an image of herself in a traditional _geisha_ outfit before giving her a ghastly and maniacal smile.

"Ah," Horrified, Momo staggered back before fruitlessly throwing medicine bottle at the mirror.

The bottle shattered as she fell onto the ground. Where had that come from? She shook her head until the door swung open revealing Sengoku in shock.

"Momo, are you okay, what happened," Sengoku lost all his cheerfulness and went straight to serious.

Momo smiled weakly, fixing her baggy shirt. "Just something I saw. The fog must've made something..."

Sengoku stared at her inquisitively before going back to his huge goofy grin. "Well, don't worry about it! You have me remember? Lucky~, you're wearing my shirt!"

Momo, casting her eyes downward, fingered the Yamabuki jersey with a slight blush. Ever since they had moved in together, their tennis jerseys became more of their pyjamas back at their apartment. However, the _Shinigami_ smiled at the green and white colours until Sengoku suddenly swooped down and carried her bridal style to the bed.

"H-Hey, what are you doing," Momo struggled to get a good balance in his arms, blushing intensely. "Put me down!"

"No," Sengoku impishly grinned before placing her on the bed before clumsily stumbling about. "Doesn't a husband have to do everything to make his wife feel better? Stop moving, Momo-ah!"

Soon, the two collapsed onto the bed with Sengoku right on top of her with his hands propping his body to stay above her. Momo sighed deeply to herself as she found herself back on the bed with soaking wet hair. They stared at each other for a moment before she suddenly started giggling. Sengoku grinned impishly before rolling onto the bed before lying next to her and snuggling closely to his _Shinigami._ He wrapped his arms around her while prompting her to curl her body against his toned ones.

"You were always so strong, Momo," Sengoku whispered before drifting off to sleep. "But it helps to have a little luck by your side..."

Momo blinked several times as he suddenly begansnoring quietly. A small sigh escaped her lips as she moved a bit closer to him. Momo wanted to drag herself out of bed but her body refused to comply while she glanced at the sleeping former vice captain of Yamabuki. His orange curls fell freely on his face as the _Shinigami_ started tousling around with it. Soon, she shifted her body a bit to ease herself comfortably against her fiancée's body. She could feel him nuzzling the top of her purple hair before he lowered himself to whisper.

"Good morning, Shinigami-_chan_," Sengoku whispered with his goofy grin before he inhaled deeply. "I never liked missing greeting you in the morning. Lucky~, I got to smell fresh coffee in the morning..."

Momo rolled her eyes before sitting up and fixing her hair. "That's because you bought me hazelnut scented shampoo. I have no idea where you found that but if it gets you up, I'm fine with it. Besides, I was already awake and so were you."

Sengoku nuzzled her again with a pout. "Aww but you were so stressed early in the morning. That doesn't sound like a good morning."

Momo laughed softly while casting her eyes towards the sun. A sad bittersweet smile curved up her lips as she looked at the photos sitting next to her bedside table. In the first frame, the picture of her and Nanako when she had newly been added to the regulars - both of them were smiling happily as they held their doubles trophy for MVP. Despite constantly promising herself she would forget the past, Momo found herself returning back to the very storage room where she had placed all her old school memories. In the middle frame, she had the picture of the middle school team when they had won the Nationals. Shizuru smiled genuinely with Mai putting up a 'v' sign while holding onto the trophy. Hitomi and she held a more patented smile while Isane got glomped by both Haruka and Rin for being the tallest among them. Kiyone and Ayane cried tears of joy while the banner of Hyotei billowed behind them.

"How long has it been, nine years," Momo chuckled deeply to herself before casting her gaze towards her orange haired fiancée, shaking her head. "Sengoku, you're going to break your neck with the way you're about to pounce."

Sengoku pouted impishly, draping his arms over the _Shinigami_. "Even after all this time you don't call me by my first name?"

"I told you why I can't do that just yet," Momo bit her lower lip before gently tracing Sengoku's arm.

Sengoku frowned a bit before sitting beside her. "You said it yourself, Momo. You're free. There's nothing left to hold you back..."

Momo remained completely silent while looking at the photo of her family. Much to her surprise, Sengoku opted to face her parents first. Despite her warning that her family was very traditional, he held fast to the idea. They invited her parents out for dinner one time and her mom interrogated him of his life before to which Sengoku answered every one honestly without leaving out a single detail. Momo found herself torn whether or not she should instantly shut Sengoku up or bring up another topic. However, the mom smiled reassuringly that he had her vote. The dad showed a bit of his usual over-protectiveness over her but grew to like the boy for his cheeriness and obviously - the whole Sanada council was against the marriage.

_I am neither your tool nor your pawn to greatness. You are your own tool to greatness! Welcome to the 20__th__ century!_

Momo bit her lip as he remembered the moment she had stormed out of the Sanada estate, never looking back. However, her thoughts were briefly cut when he tapped her nose cheerily.

"Momo, your parents really agreed to us getting married," Sengoku held her hands in his own, staring at her with his emerald orbs. "You know, I wasn't surprised about them. Your cousin was the one who really got me. I must be really lucky~!"

The former _Shinigami_ flicked his forehead with a small smile. "You bet you are. I was quite astonished myself..."

_Flashback_

"You're not surviving with him," Sanada shook his head defiantly before placing down the list on the table. "Momo, I think Sengoku wins this round."

Momo stared at him incredulously, completely astonished by his decision. "Oh - what makes you say that, Sanada-_sama_?"

"Momo, you have no need to call me that," Sanada frowned before sitting down next to her while watching the petals of the cherry blossom tree fall down to the ground. "We are cousins. There is no difference in our rank. Secondly, about this man - I have crossed him a few times and perhaps the first thing you would say is that he is a 'wiener'. He has neither sense of honour nor code of ethics. Perhaps, he would not only sully the Sanada name but give you a miserable life. As your cousin, I highly object to that."

**End of Flashback**

Momo smiled bitterly at the memory of her and her cousin. She couldn't understand how Sanada suddenly changed sides and opted to support her relationship with Sengoku. Then again, she remembered how hard it was to get the clan to accept Souma Fuuka. Momo winced at the memory when Fuuka had easily lifted Shizuru off the floor and blasted her all the way to the wall. The _Shinigami_ stood up as the door bell suddenly rang. Her eyes widened but her lips curled into a frown; who was sending her a message this early in the morning?

"I'll get it," Sengoku immediately leapt out of bed right past her without his shirt on and running around in boxers.

Momo stared aghast as realization hit her, prompting her to chase after the topless orange haired male. "W-Wait a minute, at least have the decency to put on a shirt...!"

Without any warning, a loud _thud _echoed through her apartment along with a familiar growl.

"TARUNDORU!"

Sighing to herself, Momo rushed to the living room to find a crumpled Sengoku on the ground with a huge bruise on his head. She shook her head disdainfully before returning to her room as she threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before meeting her annoyed cousin by the door. Sanada clearly expressed his annoyance despite his stoic expression. Sighing helplessly, Momo sheepishly smiled with a small shrug at her cousin.

"Tea?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I'm glad you're doing better, Momo. If you were with that other man, I can only imagine what kind of trouble he could be causing you," Sanada graciously accepted the tea cup from Momo as she passed a can of soda to Sengoku as they all sat down on the _tatami_ mat. "Although it would be nice to remedy the bonds between you and the family, I do believe that they only restrict your freedom."

Momo chuckled lightly before leaning closer towards her cousin. "Thanks. I never knew I would get this far. But casual talking aside - what would make the 23rd head of the Sanada clan suddenly leave his extremely violent pregnant wife? Mind you, Souma's stronger than Ayane and I've been on the receiving end of her shots before."

"You know that I do not come to you as the head of the Sanada family," Sanada chuckled bitterly. "We'll see after you and Sebgoku get married. Before we start teasing and joking around, the Sanada family wants to meet you again Momo especially your parents. They miss you."

"I'll visit them separately," Momo curtly cut him off before watching him carefully with her onyx black eyes. "The elders are just going to attack Sengoku again just because he's not from a shogunate family. I don't care; Sengoku is already self-efficient and a lot more liberal than those boys from other old daimyo families. Like what Ayane says, screw them if they don't get it."

Sanada nodded stiffly. "I'm very well aware of that but I think they also want to see Sengoku. They had not informed me but I do think that..."

"...They're gonna compare Sengoku to those other guys and show me how much of an idiot I was in picking him," Momo sighed before running her fingers through her hair.

Silence reigned in but Sengoku finally sat up.

"Sanada-_kun_, please tell them we accept the invitation."

Momo's eyes widened. "What? Sengoku...!"

"They know you're going to turn them down," Sengoku bit his thumbnail before swirling his soda. "Momo - that would then label you as a coward. They know how you think. So the only thing we can do is do the unexpected: we show up. I'm sure they'll be surprised especially how much you've achieved without them. Momo, you basically built a business from scratch and started your own _Kendo _dojo here in Tokyo. You did a whole lot more than you would have done if you married that other dude whatever his name is."

"Hideyoshi Roku," Sanada frowned at Sengoku; some people never change.

"Never mind," Sengoku waved his hand dismissively, rolling his eyes. "But he can't just randomly walk into your life after you severed yourself from the clan. You practically chopped all relations."

Momo nodded weakly before glancing at her fiancée with a sigh. "So… what do we do now?"

Sengoku smiled brightly, looking at Sanada. "Sanada-_san_, we will definitely need your help with this."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next week passed by and Momo found herself standing in front of the mansion that she had come to hate so much. Holding grudges was one thing but she knew that at some point, some hatreds had some justification to it. She remembered all the men she had been forced to meet and none of them had met her standards. All of them believed she was some trophy wife.

"Who wouldn't? After mastering _kendo_ and calligraphy," Momo stared distantly at the mansion. "I also was forced to master the tea ceremony and other things. To be the perfect Yamato Nadeshiko."

_But you defied that fate, didn't you?_

"I didn't defy that fate," Momo clenched her fists tightly until her knuckles turned white. "I decided to be brave enough to change my fate."

"And look where it got you," Sengoku smiled lovingly while holding her hand. "Whatever happens in there will not change anything. You are my fiancée and that will not change unless you want me to…"

Momo stared at him incredulously while teasingly poking his cheek. "Now why would I want to do that?"

Sengoku shrugged with a joking grin, dancing around. "Who knows? Maybe it's the clumsy way I walk or the grumpy way I talk…?"

Momo giggled before kissing her fiancée on the lips, ruffling his hair. "You're anything but grumpy. Clumsy is easy to fix, Sengoku."

Sengoku grinned in delight. "Yep!"

Momo giggled softly while walking towards the gate until Sengoku took her hand.

"But still, Momo," the former vice captain of Yamabuki smiled confidently. "Leave everything to me. I'll get us through."

The _Shinigami_ shook her head. "Aren't we supposed to be a team?"

"Yeah," Sengoku grinned before his expression became more serious. "But there are times that I just gotta show to everyone that I'm capable of being the man you need."

Momo stared in amazement as to how Sengoku had matured over the years. She remembered him as the happy-go-lucky player of Yamabuki; his smile and laughter had become so infectious that she sometimes found herself smiling for no reason at all. However, this time – this was a battle that they now both got involved in. She and he may haven't done it yet but the mere idea of her being engaged to him threw the whole family out of control.

"Alright, here goes nothing," Momo went to the door and pressed the door bell.

The two of them breathed heavily as Sengoku held Momo's hand a little more tightly. She looked at Sengoku bite his lower lip while intensely staring at the building before her. She swore that she would never bring Sengoku backhere nor did she herself ever want to come back. However, running away from her problems wasn't going to help. And even then, they were going to keep bugging her and pushing her marriage into a strain until Sengoku goes insane. She gripped Sengoku's hand tightly as the door opened, revealing Sanada.

"Momo," Sanada nodded before glancing at a serious Sengoku. "Sengoku."

Sengoku bowed humbly. "_Ohayogozaimasu_, _Sanada-sama_."

Momo blinked several times; when was Sengoku THAT polite? She followed her fiancée in as the doors closed behind her. She inhaled sharply while looking at the decorations. The mansion had not changed much and she could see the many portraits of the Sanada heads as they headed straight towards the dining room. The purple haired _Shinigami_ exhaled deeply when she found herself standing in front of the entire Sanada clan.

"_Konichiwa, Sanada-ojijisama_," Sengoku smiled politely and bowed deeply. "Thank you for inviting us."

Sanada Gen'emon nodded with a smile. "Hello Sengoku, I've seen you have progressed well."

Sengoku smiled kindly. "You are very generous with your compliments, Sanada-_sama_."

Momo wasn't sure what she was staring at. Sanada himself didn't know that Sengoku would lay it that thick either. But both Sanada's stared in amazement as Sengoku even knew how to pour himself tea properly in a traditional way and even mix it in the traditional way. All the old people stared in shock and amazement. Was this the same boy who had been so goofy as to try and interact with them years ago?

However, one of them remained completely unconvinced.

"I hope you remember him, Momo," one of the elders gestured to a male. "This is Hideyoshi Roku. He was brought here to be your husband instead of that impudent orange haired boy you bring around."

Before Momo could burst out angry, Sengoku quickly placed his hand in front of her before he gently gestured. "Momo, can you please sit near me?"

Momo blinked several times before sitting next to him. "Okay…"

The Sanada clan members were amazed as Sengoku continued.

"Sanada-_sama, _do forgive me for saying this. But showing another man to my dear fiancée when she is already engaged to me is quite an insult," Sengoku inhaled deeply.

The old man scowled. "You have no reason! You're just a commoner!"

"I understand your apprehensions regarding my status, Sanada Rikuichi-sama," Sengoku nodded slowly, ignoring the cramps. "But please allow me to defend myself or at least show you who I truly am."

Rikuichi growled. "You peasant-!"

Before Rikuichi could continue, Gen'emon placed his hand in front of Rikuichi. "That's enough, Rikuichi," – he turned to Sengoku. "Please, continue."

"I may have not taken History as a major subject but I do have Sociology as a minor for my Political Science course," Sengoku smiled calmly; Momo gaped as he gently closed her mouth with a finger. "I understand that I do not have any history of being a samurai or what not. But the way of the samurai is not decided by blood. After all, the way of the _samurai_ is a philosophy rather than a genetic thing."

Momo couldn't help but gawk at Sengoku suddenly switched personality, whispering to Sanada. "What did you do to the real Sengoku?"

"I'm very well aware that I did not kidnap him, Momo," Sanada deadpanned.

"You idiot, did you brainwash him or something," Momo glanced at Sengoku and then at her cousin again. "That's not him! You must've sent me with Niou instead!"

Sanada rolled his eyes. "Momo, Niou is currently with Isane and dealing with his pre-marriage jitters. I am surprised her brothers haven't killed him yet."

"But due to the adjusting times, the _samurai_ have faded into the background of what is Japan's history," Sengoku continued as he sadly picked up his tea cup, swirling the green tea leaves. "The job occupation of the _samurai_ I mean – not the philosophy in itself."

One of the elders stiffened. "So, what are you saying?"

Sengoku placed down the cup with a challenging glint in his eye. "As much as Hideyoshi-_san_ is from an established _samurai_ family, I do not believe he embodies the philosophy of the _samurai_."

The moment he said that, Roku slammed his fists on the table. "How dare you question my power as a _samurai_! Do you wish to fight me! I shall prove it!"

"You have already proved your weakness by getting angry," Sengoku calmly shot back.

As much as Sengoku was calm, he was more tempted to punch the guy. He felt extremely stiff in his shoulders and body but if he was going to win this argument, he had to be as calm and as stoic as possible. The orange haired male couldn't understand as to how Sanada was capable of doing that.

Roku sputtered. "Y-you – how dare you…!"

"Please hear me out before you lose yourself. If you are tempted to attack me then by all means do not do it in front of my fiancée," Sengoku swallowed nervously, knowing how he was digging his grave. "For she can wield a sword better than you ever will."

Unfortunately for Roku, that was the last straw.

Roku immediately leapt at him, preparing to strangle him. "HOW DARE YOU CHALLENGE ME…!"

Sengoku instinctively rolled back before grabbing a _bokken_ that hung as decoration. Roku clamped his hands onto the _bokken_ as Sengoku remained firm on the grip. He thanked his lucky stars for his tennis but Roku started putting more weight as he began closing the gap.

"What strength? You speak of strength and you cannot even wrestle me," Roku sneered. "Where are your words now?"

Before Sengoku could respond, something hit Roku from behind. Sengoku's eyes widened when he found Momo standing behind Roku with her own _bokken_. She narrowed her black eyes at him before sitting down again.

"This is why I refuse to marry those who come from _samurai_ families. It's rare you find decent men with decent brain sizes," Momo sat down with a narrowed eyes at Roku.

Roku roared at the council. "You said I would get my wife out of this!"

"How dare you disrespect me in my own home," Rikuichi slammed his fists on the table.

Sanada, seeing how everything was flying out of hand, dropped his hand on Sengoku's shoulder. "Get Momo out of here. I'll deal with this."

Sengoku smiled. "I suppose everything was done in true _samurai_ fashion, Sanada-_san_?"

The Emperor chuckled in amusement. "You performed way beyond my expectations."

Momo glanced at the two men before glaring. "Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here!?"

Sanada raised an eyebrow at Sengoku. "You mind telling her?"

Sengoku sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah. I'm tired of being stiff. How can you stay still for thirty minutes!?"

"Discipline and sheer will power," Sanada pointed out. "Anyway, explain it to Momo before she goes after you with her _bokken_."

Seeing Momo still glaring at him, Sengoku opened the door. "Walk with me?"

Momo narrowed her eyes but reluctantly walked with her fiancée out the door as they ended up on the sidewalk.

"What the hell was that," Momo gawked. "You're not known to sit that still or be that serious!"

Sengoku chuckled sheepishly. "Ahahaha, about that…"

"You bloody idiot! They could have cut your head clean off," Momo continued on.

"Momo," Sengoku began.

"They could have also challenged you to a _kumite_ which you would obviously lose in!"

"Momo," Sengoku tried to cut in again.

"And then they could have also…!"

"Momo," Sengoku grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her slightly. "Stop! Let me explain before you freak out!"

Momo exhaled sharply before narrowing her eyes at him in annoyance. Whatever he did, didn't make any sense to her. She let out an annoyed snort before storming past him. The _Shinigami_ shoved her hands into her pocket until Sengoku walked right in front of her.

"Momo-_chan_, today – it was my way of showing how Hideyoshi Roku wasn't worth anything," Sengoku exhaled sharply and cupped her face. "And how I'm willing to bend and do anything for you, as long as you won't regret it."

Momo blankly stared at him. "Did that include riling up the council and getting attacked by Roku?"

Sengoku raised his arms in defense. "I didn't expect him to try and claw me to death!"

Momo face-palmed, shaking her head. "You didn't even expect him to attack you!?"

"I expected a lot more frankly," Sengoku admitted mildly with a grin. "Well, I guess we proved to them that you're in perfectly good hands!"

Momo stared at her fiancée incredulously. "You just showed them that you wanted to piss them off!"

Sengoku sighed before pursing his lips. "W-well, I didn't know that the guy they wanted had some temper issues! But then again, nobody beats Akutsu. He's got a fuse shorter than a dot."

Momo snickered while looking at Sengoku with a disapproving stare. "You really are crazy you know that? You can't always have your luck save you!"

"I know," Sengoku smiled abashedly before taking her hands. "But I didn't believe so strongly in my luck before…"

Momo blinked several times. "Huh?"

"I always had a hard time with girls," Sengoku smiled weakly while looking at the sunset in front of them. "And then, I found out that the reason why they started leaving me was because of my sister. It didn't help that I didn't really have a father figure to look at. You know how my life was like, Momo."

Momo bit her lower lip darkly. "Yeah… It took a whole lot to make her admit she killed Ryuna…"

"I thought Ryuna was everything until my sister fabricated that she cheated on me," Sengoku shook his head, feeling his eyes water. "And then, I just find out later she died in a huge fire in the chemistry lab. I couldn't even say sorry… But when she passed away, I couldn't even cry or even feel bad. So, I just decided to be nice and see who could see past it. Then you came along."

Momo chuckled and shook her head. "Back then, I thought you were asking for my captain's number."

"No offense to your captain. As pretty as she is," Sengoku waved his hands dismissively. "She kinda had creepy and scary radiating off her. I'd date Ayane over her if it were between the two of them."

Momo laughed. "Yeah, and it didn't help that she was actually from the Mishima family. You know what kind of power that bloodline is packing."

Sengoku shook his head before holding her hands a little more tightly. "But you inspired me. We always kept bumping into each other and somehow, you saw past everything. You were there for everything even after the whole Tohru incident."

"Actually, you were the reason why I started to believe in luck."

Sengoku snapped his attention towards his fiancée. "Huh? How did that…?"

"You were always so bubbly and you seemed to be okay with what I was," Momo smiled bitterly. "You were the only one I could truly expose myself to. You were unpredictable. You were always this bubbly ball of energy. That's why… when you tried to fight for me the first time, though, I admit. It was the stupidest thing you could have ever done."

"They say when you love someone, your brain kinda comes out like some insane person's," Sengoku thought about it. "Or so your friends say…"

"And they're not wrong about that," Momo chuckled lightly as Sengoku nuzzled her nose. "But the truth is – the more I stayed with you and saw the other people. I saw how lucky I was. You cared for me as me. Not as the Sanada's daughter. You didn't see me as a woman just to be married off. You even made your way to yap at the council and even managed to shove off Roku. Of all things…"

"That's why," Sengoku smiled lovingly.

"That's why," Momo smiled as she melted into his arms, embracing him.

"I am very lucky to be yours."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"_I'm glad we managed to sort things out, Sanada."_

"_I didn't expect you to soak up the lessons that fast, Sengoku. You really are something."_

"_I'd do anything for Momo. You know that."_

_*chuckles* "I guess so. When I saw you back there, I thought you were going to be challenged to a kumite."_

"_Yeah you idiot, you scared the lights out of me!"_

"_Sorry Momo, I had to be convincing!"_

"_GENICHIROU!"_

_*freezes* "Fuuka, are you okay…? What's wrong…?"_

"_Baby. Hospital. NOW!"_

_*all three exchange glances* "SHIT!"_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Sorry for the really late update of this collection! I honestly began running out ideas and then when I found it again a few months or a year later – a new inspiration hit me! Hopefully I'll be able to make Kiyone's and Shiraishi's! Until then! :)**


End file.
